Maiden of Time
by Ayyarin
Summary: Annie - truly known as Aki - is swept away from her modern day life into the Sengoku period. There, she decides to use her knowledge of that time period to guide Mitsuhide through his life that will come to pass, giving him the advantage in the events to come. However, can she guide him towards the tragic death that waits for him at the end when realises that she loves him?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I've been dying to do a SW story for ages. Hope you like it!**

Chapter One

Mitsuhide dashed on ahead of the servant that was supposed to escort him, heading for the place he enjoyed sitting.

"Mitsuhide-sama! Please wait!" His servant called behind him. Mitsuhide turned his head behind him slightly with a slight, one-sided smile.

"You can catch up in a moment, Yuko. I am only going to the cliff edge at the lake!" He called over his shoulder.

His servant called again but he ignored her this time. He enjoyed having his own servants as they did everything for him, but they were also a bother, never leaving him alone. Even when he told them to leave him alone so he could play with his friends, they would still hover close by. It angered him but he was also grudgingly aware of how the servants ultimately served mother, father and uncles. They ordered the servants to keep an eye on him, and so they would, even if it irritated Mitsuhide.

He arrived at the small cliff-face that was surrounded by some trees and thick bushes that bloomed spring flowers. With a breath of content, he sat at the edge with his legs dangling over the side and he gazed down at the still lake below. The waters were clear and dark teal like liquid jade. It was a very pretty, small lake and sometimes youngsters came here to play games in the water or learn how to swim.

Mitsuhide scowled, wondering when he would learn. He knew some basics, but it was not enough. He was already nine years of age.

Something, a shadow, twisted in the depths of the waters and Mitsuhide's sharp eyes narrowed. Was that a human shadow in the water?

"Mitsuhide-sama!" His servant's call was much closer this time and he turned to look behind him. A great cracking sound vibrated through the air and the rock he sat on shook violently. His eyes widened at the same time he heard his servant's scream of shock. Before he could react, the rock he sat on crumbled and he fell with it into the cold, dark waters of the lake.

Mitsuhide gasped. It was the biggest mistake as instead of air, he sucked in a lungful of water. It felt like his chest exploded in agony and a violent fit of coughing clutched his respiratory system in a desperate attempt to expel the water and breathe in more air. Except there was no air.

The rocks battered his body while he coughed and desperately tried to control it. It took every fibre of his being to stop the fits of choking but as a result, it felt like his lungs were being ripped apart. He wanted to scream. It was then when he also realised how his left foot throbbed in agony. He tried to move away in a direction, any direction, but his foot was stuck. Trapped beneath the rocks.

Panic erupted in his frantically beating heart.

_I am going to drown!_ He realised in terror.

Mitsuhide glanced about him frantically, pulling on his foot and trying to push the boulder. Despite his Oni blood that heightened all of his senses and strengthened his body, he could not move the boulder that trapped his foot.

Dread and devastation flitted through his young mind. Was he going to drown a pathetic death like this? He had not even become a man yet!

Mitsuhide squeezed his eyes shut. What was he supposed to do? He could not die now!

Movement in the water forced him to open his eyes and he looked to his side. His struggling stopped as he stared at another figure in the water. It was a young woman, a slender woman that uncurled herself from the shadows of the water. She was the shadow he saw just a moment ago.

A spirit of the water. Or an enemy spy? Did it matter? Desperation screamed in Mitsuhide's mind when she swam up, not seeing him. He reached out and grabbed her foot. His conscious was slipping through his fingers.

_Save me!_

She looked down and he saw her eyes. There were mixed emotions within her gaze that flashed through those brown eyes in an instant: fear, anger, confusion and desperation. Was a spirit supposed to feel those kinds of emotions within the water that was her domain? They were replaced by shock and determination.

Mitushide knew, he knew that she would save his life.

* * *

I stepped off the plane, feeling the sticky humid air hit me like a wave. Despite the amount of times I had travelled across Southeast Asia, I could not get used to this cloying heat and humidity. I would have thought that being half Chinese would have made me more used to this kind of heat but alas, there were no advantages as such considering I was raised in chilly and windy Britain.

Propping my rucksack higher on my shoulders, I made my way through immigration which was a daunting process. The Japanese, like most Asians, did not have a friendly expression when stamping my passport. It had been much harder than I was expecting to be able to get two months to stay in Japan for my research.

Once past immigration, I plopped my hat back on my head and went to collect my suitcase, looking all around me to get my bearings. Signs were either in Japanese and English, or just Japanese, which was difficult as I still could not read the language; however, I could read Chinese which helped me out, seeing as much of Japan's written language came from Chinese.

I was half Chinese half English, a curious mix as some said, but a good mix. It certainly gave me many advantages when it came to travelling through Southeast Asia. I could speak both Japanese and Chinese.

Suitcase collected, I met up with my guide at arrivals.

"Welcome to Japan, Annie-san," she greeted me warmly.

"Thank you, Yuki-san," I replied with a sheepish grin. "It's so hot!"

Yuki chuckled as she led me out of Kyoto's airport. "This is only spring. You should experience the summer. Ah, but you will be here for some of that anyway."

My expression fell. "I think I know what that will feel like. I was in Hong Kong and Thailand last year with my family during August. I passed out three times because of the heat! And I ended up in hospital on the third."

Yuki winced in sympathy. "That must have been dreadful."

I nodded and we talked a bit about the weather while she helped me lift my suitcase into the trunk of her car.

"Why is it that every time I meet a person from the UK, they all talk about the weather?" Yuki mused, turning the ignition of the car.

I snorted. "It's a British thing. The weather in the UK is very unpredictable and generally all over the place. Rainy, sunny, cloudy, windy and damp, and most of the time, it is all of those together. It is always a huge topic of conversation for us. Our seasons are never fixed. The calendar is only there to tell us when it's Christmas, New Year, and when the clocks go backwards or forwards."

She chuckled and then changed the topic. "Today and tomorrow I will let you settle in and unpack, in addition to getting rid of any jet-lag that you may have. Then we will go to Honno-ji and you can start your research."

I felt my insides bubble with excitement and my expression melted as it would normally do when presented with food.

"It makes me feel so pleased to see one as young as yourself take such an interest in our history," Yuki said gently. "You are an eighteen year old girl and yet you behave much more maturely than your age suggests."

I smiled. "I've always had this incredible interest with Akechi Mitsuhide ever since I played the game that introduced me to the Sengoku period."

Yuki giggled. "Don't tell me, Samurai Warriors one, two and three?"

I nodded.

She sighed. "When I got your call, I was going to say no as there are many people out there who start getting interested because of a game and that interest usually dies fairly quickly. There was nothing special. But when you emailed me all the work you had already managed to gather for your novel on Mitushide's life, I had to admit, I was extremely impressed. So young and yet so much progress and work with what you had available in the UK."

"Which was not much," I added.

"I'm glad I and my agency agreed to your request. You have already done so much work and got the basics of his life, culture, myths and legends and timeline. All we need to do is fill in the gaps and you can then thread the rest together yourself."

My smile grew wider and I struggled to keep my excitement from showing. I was really in Japan, in Kyoto and this was my chance to learn everything I could for my novel. My heart beat a touch faster as I thought of Akechi Mitsuhide. It was my opportunity to find out more about his life than I could have ever hoped. The Sengoku period was so incredibly interesting. It made me adore Japan, yet I hated it at the same time. Again, it was to do with history, the World Wars to be exact, between Japan and China. Anyone who had read up on _that_ bit of history could understand perfectly well why so many despised the Japanese.

It was all on the past now though, and there was no use dwelling on the past that would bring nothing but misery.

The houses and buildings passed by and we arrived at a small flat I would be temporarily renting. She showed me around the area, which was a nice little place, showing me where the shops were, bus stops and so on. Yuki then bid me good day and left me to my unpacking.

I could not stop smiling as I unpacked. In my heart was a really good feeling about this.

* * *

On the morning of my visit to Honno-ji, I stood in front of my mirror, combing my long black hair back into a high pony-tail. I wore denim three-quarters and a black T-Shirt. Simple. I had never been one for appearances, rarely wearing make-up or dressing to try and get attention. Besides, I was underdeveloped in some cases, with disappointingly small breasts. However, it did not bother me as much as some people would have expected. I was slim and looked tidy and presentable – that was all that mattered.

I also noted that I was rather tall compared to the other Japanese girls and women, standing at five foot six inches. It was a normal height in the west, but here in the east it was fairly tall. It was something I noticed every time I was in China.

I put my hat on, slung my bag over my shoulder and met up with Yuki outside.

"Are you ready?"

I nodded enthusiastically, pumping my fist in the air. "Hell yeah!" I exclaimed. "Let's go, go, go!"

With a chuckle, she drove us to Honno-ji. There were many tourists, most of which were Japanese. The air buzzed with the murmur of chatter and groups were crowded around dashboards of information about the temple and its history. There were families, school children and general other people. Some of them stared at me which made me uncomfortable but I ignored it. It was not often they would see a foreigner seeing as Japan's boarder was so tight and secure.

We walked through the temple and around its grounds. The day seemed like it dragged and yet it felt like it was going so fast at the same time. I read everything I could, took down notes, spoke to the priests who were happy to tell me of the Incident at Honno-ji and then at five in the afternoon, Yuki and I sat down on a bench, breathing a great sigh.

"Wow, that was a lot to take in for one day," I breathed.

"You've written down a lot of notes," Yuki noted as I flipped through my notebook and reshuffled my papers. "I will go and get us some drinks. I will be back in five minutes."

"Okay."

I watched her leave and then turned back down to my notes. Already I had a ton of information that was never on the internet or in the libraries. I felt giddy as aspects of the story I had planned were coming together even more. What I wanted to write was not exactly a biography of Akechi Mitsuhide's life because it was a fictional peace that I had planned, one involving Tengus and Kitsunes and similar creatures. Demons, or _Yokai_ and_ Oni _in Japanese.

Oh how I adored mythology in any nation, particularly Chinese, Celtic or Egyptian, including Japanese.

An unexpected gust of wind blasted me from the front and I let out a small cry of surprise. Some of my papers were lifted into the air and my chest constricted in dread. The wind took them behind me and into the trees.

"Crap!" I cursed. "My notes!" I stood abruptly. My notes meant everything to me!

I chased them into the trees, listening to the leaves rustle and whisper in the wind. I swore I heard the sound of wings, huge wings, but I was more worried about my notes. Through the trees I ran, until finally my scattered papers fluttered to the ground.

My heart pounded hard in my chest as I sank to my knees with an exhausted and relieved sigh, picking the papers up.

"Damn it," I panted. "That was too close."

With the papers collected, I scanned through them to make sure I was not missing any and then put them away in my bag so the wind could not take them away again. I was surprised at how lucky I was to find all of the notes. Luck was on my side today it seemed.

When I stood up, I took a look at my surroundings for the first time. I paused, feeling my skin chill.

This was not some group of trees like it was before. This was a forest. There was no wind, unlike the sudden gust earlier and it was surprisingly dark. The air was filled with rich birdsong and cicadas. Why could I not hear the sounds of the cars or the remaining tourists? I spun around myself. I could not even see the temple.

"What the hell?" I murmured, frowning and feeling incredibly wary. Where was this place? How far did I wander? Was there a forest like this around the temple to begin with?

A warm light drew my attention. It was through the towering trees. I stood where I was at first, gazing in the direction of the light with a dubious expression. Should I go towards it? This was still around Honno-ji, right? The light would mean a building and therefore people. I could make my way back to the bench.

_And quickly too. Yuki is probably back with the drinks now. She will be worried._

With that in mind, I set off towards the light, leaping nimbly over the incredible roots of the trees and weaving in between the huge trunks that stood the canopy of leaves above. I moved around the trees and exhaled as I came across the light.

I stopped where I was abruptly and stared in disbelief. In front of me was a small lake, or a very large pond, it depended on one's perspective. The water was still and clear, dark with depth. Standing on the other side of the small lake was a young girl dressed in an elaborate and heavy kimono, fit for those in court. Her hair was long and white. Fluffy fox ears jutted from the sides of her head and behind her swished a thick and bushy fox tail. Her eyes were orange. The light came from a flickering flame that bobbed beside her. I gaped.

Was . . . was she a Kitsune? But this was the modern twenty first century! These creatures existed in legend and myth but not in real life. And yet, I was staring right at one.

The sound of a great beat of wings drew my attention up for a moment.

"At last. You are finally here, Aki." The voice belonged to a man who stood on a high branch. His hair was long, loose and black, like his yukata embroidered in gold. Black eyes stared down at me and I felt the blood drain from my face. There were wings on this man's back; huge, black feathery wings.

A Tengu? My breath caught in my throat. He was talking to me. There was no one else here.

"Who . . . who are you? My name isn't . . . Aki . . ."

_Aki . . ._ The name echoed in my memory. I was called that in my dreams . . .

My feet felt wet and I glanced down. I sucked in a strangled breath. The water from the lake had a mind of its own, like it was possessed. It rose up from the shoreline and around my feet, rising higher. I took a step back. Pale, clawed hands flashed out of the water, gripping my ankles. Half of the owner's face rose from the water. It was another man, a man with long white hair and pale eyes. His pupils were narrowed into the slits of a snake.

They were all _Demons_.

I opened my mouth to scream. Cold water filled my mouth and nose. The snake-like man had pulled me into the lake and the water engulfed me like a dark cape of crushing darkness. I kicked and thrashed against the pale hands that dragged me down into the deep, desperately trying to control and beat back down the panic that was quickly rising in my blood. I had always been a very good swimmer, able to hold my breath for minutes on end, but the weight of the water was crushing and pressed agonisingly against my eardrums. My nose and throat burned. I could not see. Was I going to drown? What had I done? What had I done to deserve the wrath of these mythical creatures? What the heck was going on?!

_: Do not fight us, Aki._

My limbs stiffened at the cold hiss in my mind.

_: We are your allies. Save the Oni prince and guide him, Maiden of Time._

The hands that had a hold of my legs let go and I blinked, suddenly so confused. Why let go if they were trying to drown me? This had to be a dream, a bad dream. But if it was a dream then I would be able to breathe the water – which I clearly could not at the present time.

Desperate ad confused, I turned my head up towards the direction I thought was the surface. It was then when I realised that I could see. The water was not as deep as it once was and to my amazement, my vision was surprisingly clear for underwater sight.

_That doesn't matter. Get up to the surface! _I shrieked mentally, kicking for the surface, shaking with fearful confusion. I meet a Tengu, Kitsune and a snake Demon, and then get dragged into a lake. I wanted nothing more than to get back to Yuki and apologise to her for making her wait and no doubt worry. This was a hallucination, caused by my stupid excitement at learning about the past.

Something caught my foot and strangled panic and anger clawed through my chest. _What now? I need air!_

The hand that grabbed my foot slipped away and I frowned, looking down. My eyes landed on a boy, a boy who appeared to be stuck, his foot trapped under freshly fallen rocks. He was drowning.

My heart sank, unable to believe the day I was having. Unable to ignore him and overwhelmed by the desire to save him, I swam down. The snake Demon was nowhere to be seen, but my fear remained.

Forcing that fear away temporarily, I swam down to the boy's level. I could not let a child die. Never.

I took a quick, blurred glance at the boulders that weighed him down and then pushed against it with all my might. The boy pulled on his foot, but each pull was weaker than the last. My lungs burned like fire and my head swam with dizziness. I was also growing weaker. Adrenaline pumped through my veins and I squeezed my eyes shut, pushing one last time with everything I had. The boulder shifted, and the boy's foot came free. Triumph coursed through my blood.

The boy kicked for the surface, but he did not get anywhere as his movements slowed. He could not swim. I wrapped one arm around him and swam us both up to the surface. We broke through the water, spraying the droplets everywhere and I brought in a sharp gasp of air, replenishing my starved lungs and I sneezed an instant later from the water that stung my nose. The boy in my arm gasped, choked and coughed violently, water pouring from his mouth and nose as I took us both to shallow water.

"Mitsuhide-sama!" A shrill cry snapped my attention ahead. A woman in a simple but tidy kimono stood at the edge of the water, tears of fear and joy streaming down her cheeks. Her hairstyle was strange.

Around the water were more figures, mainly men that waded through the water, wearing clothes I had only seen in paintings. Katanas were tied to their belts and some others held Naginatas. I stared at them in numb shock. Was I really seeing this?

"Let go of Mitsuhide-sama! Do not touch him, you witch!" They roared when I was able to stand in the shallow water. The men ripped the boy from my arms and another shoved me back, pointing his Katana at my neck. I froze, my numb brain slowly processing the tense and panicked situation.

The Japanese were not allowed to carry weapons in public, certainly not Katanas. Yet I had at least three blades pointed at me in hostility. I glanced around me. The scene around me was like something from a Japanese movie or anime depicting what it looked like in the olden days, except I could not see any buildings nearby just yet. There was a small cliff-face behind me, showing signs of a collapse. There was no forest around the small lake like there was when the snake-Demon dragged me into the water. This was a different lake.

Where was I? Why was everyone wearing such old-fashioned clothing and holding weapons? Why did they look on me with such hostility?

Slowly, I raised my hands in defence and stood still where I was. The water dripped from my body. The sunlight suggested it was setting. Their air was surprisingly sweet and clean, with no traces of exhaust fumes from the cars and city that should be close by.

"Who are you? You will pay for trying to drown our young Lord!" The hostile men snarled. Others held their arms up to stop women from coming any closer. They looked on me in fear, as if I was some kind of monster.

My expression distorted into one of disbelief at the accusation. Could this day not get any worse?

"Trying to drown him?" I repeated in dismay. "I saved his life!"

I assumed they were referring to the little boy I saved. He sat on the floor beside the woman with the tidy kimono, coughing and bringing in staggered breaths. His face was pale but the colour was slowly coming back. I felt mild relief and pride at having saved someone's life for the first time in my own life. Becoming a doctor was the path I would have chosen had I not gone for writing.

My pride and relief was short-lived as one of the blades pressed against my neck, breaking the skin and a bead of blood trickled down my skin.

"Do not lie!" The man shouted. "You are a spirit of the lake who tried to kill our young Lord!"

I almost laughed, feeling hysterical. I was a human! Like them! I opened my mouth to argue when I stopped myself and looked between me and those around me. Our clothing was different, I could swim very well, I looked like a foreigner to some extent and I was taller than average, standing at the same height as many of the men.

If this was some ancient time, then I could understand what they meant. But this was the twenty first century. No one believed in spirits and such anymore . . .

However, I saw those three beings of myth. These people called that little boy their 'young Lord'. There were no 'Lords' in this day and age. But _was_ it this day and age? Their clothing, their superstition, weapons, way of speaking –

I felt my face pale and my eyes landed on the boy. He certainly looked nobler than the rest of the people around him. He looked back at me with a mixed expression. What did they call him?

"What is your name?" I whispered.

One of the men snarled and drew his Katana back. "Insolence! To talk to him directly –!"

"Wait!" The little boy yelled, standing abruptly. His voice was hoarse and he staggered from standing too quickly. The woman beside him caught his shoulder.

"Mitsu –!" She began when the boy held up his hand.

"This woman saved my life," he croaked. "My name is Akechi. Akechi Mitushide."

My hands, which were raised, were lowered to my sides and I stared at him. My legs felt weak.

Akechi Mitsuhide. This little boy was the samurai who I was completely fascinated with? Nobunaga's retainer who betrayed his lord and burnt Honno-ji to the ground? The Thirteen Day Shogun?

This little boy was _him_? But . . . but that meant that I was in the fifteen hundreds of Sengoku Japan, that I was in the _past_.

I took a step back, feeling the horror rise in my heart as my eyes blurred with tears and the onset of a vicious faint. My hearing was becoming muffled.

"You're lying . . . you're, lying . . ."

I watched their expressions change and their lips moved. However, I did not hear them, and then I did not see them. My overwhelmed conscious sank into the dark Abyss of unconsciousness.

*** Jikan no Shojo - according to google translate this means 'Maiden of Time'. If it's incorrect then please tell me :) - I just changed it. Thanks MorningEmerald for letting me know! :)**_  
_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated this in a while -.- Everyone has been keen on my Blood plus fanfic 'Rise from the Past' instead so that one has taken priority.  
**

**Now, a question about the Akechi family. I actually wrote a novel on Mitsuhide's life about a year ago for a project (which I got full marks on!) so I have already done a lot of the research but unfortunately, I only have the internet to help me and it doesn't have everything I need, like the name of Mitsuhide's mother for example. On the sites, they just refer to her as 'Mitsuhide's mother' and in my novel I just refered to her as 'Lady Akechi'. If anyone knows her real name then please do tell me, otherwise I am just going to have to do the same thing and use 'Lady Akechi'.**

**It may seem like there isn't anything happening in this chapter but for those that have read my other works, you will know that these sorts of chapters are not fluff to just pass the time in the story. It all counts and has information and links to other parts of the story. So enjoy and in the next chapter, the story will really begin to progress :)**

* * *

Chapter Two

Mitsukuni stood by the closed screen that was partially parted so he could glance in. His young son sat inside, curiously watching the sleeping woman that had supposedly saved his life.

Mitsukuni frowned and he replayed everything in his memory again. There had been a huge commotion down in the town and it was not until Mitsuhide returned when everything was explained. The near death experience alone was enough to mildly shock Mitsukuni and his wife, but what shocked them both more was the unconscious woman Mitsuhide had brought with him. She did not look of this world, wearing strange clothing and she did not look like one of this land's bloodline. She looked like a mix of the western foreigners and them. A half-breed? It certainly made her look unique.

The people of the town were wary of her, whispering that she was a spirit of the lake – a Demon.

Mitsukuni smirked wryly. The people of Mino were not even aware that their Lords and Ladies were of Demon blood – Oni. If they knew that then they would not be so hostile against this woman as they would have bigger things to worry about, such as would their Lords and Ladies eat them, for example. Mitsukuni's smirk grew wider at the thought. They did not eat people. They were no different to everyone else. The only difference in diet was that they occasionally needed blood to sate a growing thirst, and this blood could be taken from animals – carnivorous animals preferably. But it did not beat the sweetness of human blood.

Anyhow, according to Mitsuhide, he had been trapped by fallen rocks and was drowning, until a woman came out from the shadows of the water and freed him. In effect, she saved him from a watery grave.

Mitsukuni did not doubt his son's story. There was truth in his eyes. And like his son, he was impatient for this woman to wake after she collapsed. Where did she come from? He knew for a fact that there were no such spirits in the lake, and he knew many Demons that were enemies and friends. But he had never seen this one before.

He would have to wait until she woke. And when she did, there was much to talk about.

* * *

My sleep was dark, empty. There were no dreams to my huge disappointment. However, there was . . . something. A girl's voice in the darkness. Her voice was a flickering flame that floated in the blackness, my beacon of light.

_: Wake up, Aki . . ._

A followed the light, followed her voice. The flame turned around. The head of the Kitsune stared back at me.

I woke up sharply, jolted awake by alarm. My heart thumped fast, my body was tense from the shock. I relaxed however after minutes of lying as still as I could. Exhaling through my nose. The smells were all wrong in the room, until I remembered I was in the rental flat. It was just a dream. A very disturbing dream.

I shifted and frowned. _Why am I lying on my front? I never lie on my front,_ I thought. _And definitely not with my hands behind my back. Damn it, it's so uncomfortable._

I brought my hands around to my front and rolled onto my side. The rolling onto my side I managed, but not the other. I froze. My hands were tied behind my back.

Panic flared immediately. Did someone break into my flat? I was in bed. _Oh God. Was I raped?_ But there was no pain between my groins or anywhere for that matter.

Abruptly, I sat up, flinging the quilt away from me. It was then when I realised. Gagged, bound, dressed in a simple white yukata. The room I was in was matted by a tatami floor and the screens were closed all around the edge. Incense burned somewhere as its scent perfumed the air.

This was _nothing_ like my flat.

One of the screens opened and a man with a kindly expression stepped in. He was dressed in a hakama and uwangi. His hair was tied back. My heart sank.

It had not been a dream.

"Ah, you are awake, Miss," he exclaimed gently. "You slept all through the night."

I stared at him, feeling tears sting my eyes and I hung my head in devastation. This was not a dream. It was very real. Indeed I was pulled into the lake by that snake-Demon. Indeed I saw the Tengu and Kitsune. Indeed I saved a boy from drowning.

_Akechi Mitsuhide._

"I was told to bring you to the Lords and Lady as soon as you were awake," the kindly man said. "For that, I am going to unbind you. You look like a trustworthy person, therefore will you promise not to attempt to flee when I remove your bindings? It will be futile if you do. There are guards posted at every possible exit."

I inhaled deeply and then exhaled slowly. Bound and guarded, a prisoner. If I really had been cast into a completely different time then was it better if I died? How could I possibly survive in an age of swords and old-fashioned culture and etiquette, with codes of honour and behaviour that were far harsher than the modern day?

It would be easy to get myself killed in these circumstances. Did I want that?

Not particularly, no. I was not an optimistic person but death was out of the question now that I was on a roll with creating my novel – which seemed to be on hold now that I was no longer in my own era. I felt so confused, so numb. Perhaps while I was still numb I could take this opportunity to find out what was happening, before I had a mental and emotional breakdown.

I nodded my head once miserably and sat still as the man unbound my gag and the bind around my wrists. My mouth was dry, but I was far too frightened to ask for anything to drink. Instead, I rubbed my wrists in silence.

The man brought a large box around and pushed it in front of me steadily. He opened it and a smooth garment lay inside.

"My name is Akito Kenji," he said kindly. "Please put this haori on. It will provide you with some measure of privacy as we walk to the reception chamber."

I reached forward. My hands were not shaking, to my dull surprise. I picked up the haori and let it fall from its folds. It was a simple garment of pale brown and very simple embroidery. No doubt it was a haori for someone beneath a noble status.

"Akito-san," I murmured. The man's face brightened, as well as stiffened with the surprise that I was talking. Surname had to come first, with the title. I was so thankful I knew that part of the etiquette well enough, considering it had not changed in five hundred years.

"What time of day is it?"

"Early morning. The Lords and Lady are ready to receive you."

I glanced down, feeling the moisture drain from my mouth. Lords and Ladies in this day and age were no different to royalty in most respects. It felt like panic was going to strangle me. What was I going to do? meeting them would probably be enough to seal my death warrant, and running away would result in exactly the same.

_Put the haori on first._

I did just that, sliding my arms through the sleeves and Kenji nodded approvingly. "Good," he said. "Now come with me, please. Do not be afraid."

I would have snorted in dry amusement, but I was not in any such mood for that. Therefore I stood. Kenji was barely a few inches taller than me and he noticed this with mildly concealed shock.

"The rumours of your height were not exaggerated after all," he chuckled. "Come along then."

With a suppressed sigh, I followed him through the screens to the veranda along the edge of this part of the manor. I assumed it was a manor anyway. If I was to see the Akechi Lords together then this would have to be Akechi manor in Mino.

We stepped lightly and I managed to drag my gaze up from the wooden floor and to the gardens on my right. The sun was bright, the air was comfortable before the humidity of noon would set in. Birds sang, the trees whispered, the cicadas chirped and voices came to me on the faint breeze. There were people in the garden. They were far in the distance but they paused what they were doing when they saw who walked behind Kenji. The light voices fell silent and the air chilled despite the warmth.

_Witch of the lake . . ._

My eyes met one particular pair as I looked back down at the wooden veranda. It took a split second before my brain registered those eyes as something familiar. I glanced back up at the boy whose gaze I met, to find he was not there. Gone, like a fleeting shadow.

I looked back down and continued to follow Kenji. With each step my heart beat faster and louder in nervousness and fear. My muscles tensed and my chest tightened. I was going to meet the Akechi Lords. Real figures in history that I had struggled to study. Descendants of the legendary Minamoto who fought the mighty Taira across the sea, and won.

What the hell was I doing? I could not meet people like these! I was going to get myself killed.

Kenji moved back into the manor, through more screens, and then finally knelt down in front of one. Struggling to keep myself from passing out in anticipation, I knelt down beside him, hands in front and lowered my head. There was a whispered exchange and the screen slid open.

_Pretend it is all a dream . . . _my tiny mental voice whispered.

"My Lords, my Lady," Kenji murmured politely in greeting. Sudden panic exploded in my mind. How was I supposed to address them individually? They all had the same family name. I could not address them all as 'Akechi-sama', otherwise I would get confused as to _which_ Akechi-sama I would be addressing. Using their given names was not even thinkable.

"Ah! Finally. Come through," a male voice said, sounding impatient. I bit on my lower lip to stop it from trembling in fear.

Kenji raised his head and glanced at me. I stared at him. He nudged his head forward slightly. My eyes widened. What was he saying? That I was supposed to get up and sit with them _alone_?

His eyes moved again and before I could think logically, I stood, too afraid of the Lords' impatience. I stood, not looking up once, keeping a lowered posture and then knelt down again, feet tucked beneath me and bowed my head to the tatami matting.

I could not hear anything save for my frantic heart beat. My eyes were squeezed shut, expecting the excruciating but brief pain of a sword slicing through my neck.

However, that did not come. Did I not crap up then? Had I followed the etiquette well enough to keep my neck?

The screen was slid shut behind me, leaving me alone with very powerful people of a status far higher than my own. To them, I would be nothing but a peasant.

"Sit up, woman."

I obeyed the command and sat up straight, glancing up at the people who sat in front of me. There were five of them.

Two men sat on their left, their expressions composed yet curious. A third man sat in the middle, no doubt the overall Lord of the manor and therefore the family. He carried an air of respect and loyalty that made my eyes widen. He was more handsome than his brothers and wore a broad smile. Beside him to his right was a beautiful woman dressed in such a breath-taking kimono. Her expression was cold and unreadable. And then on her right was a boy who looked a mix between the woman and the grinning man. Now this boy I recognised immediately of course. Not because it was his eyes I saw in the garden a moment ago, but because he was the boy I saved from the lake.

Dressed and tidy, demonstrating their ranking and power, the five of them were a sight to behold. I quickly looked back down.

_Am I sure this isn't a dream?_

"So, you are the one who saved my son," Mitsukuni mused. I knew his name. I knew all of their names, except for the mother. I could not find any record of her name in my research and had hoped to discover that while doing my research.

I was too scared to reply. Would I be considered arrogant if I said yes? Was the question a trick and yes was the answer they needed to throw me in a prison cell or execute me?

Mitsukuni sighed and to my startled shock, a closed fan slid under my chin and pulled it up, forcing me to look ahead. The Lord held the fan, looking somewhat disappointed.

"Are we that frightening? The people of Mino would beg to differ," he said.

I blinked. His behaviour was not what I was expecting from a Lord during the Sengoku period. He was more like the characters in the game, or in the mangas where someone got thrown into the past. Everything always seemed nicer in those settings than what it was actually depicted as in films which followed the facts more accurately.

"Mitsukuni-sama," his wife chided. "That is not proper behaviour."

Mitsukuni shrugged her chide off but sat back nonetheless. This time, I did not look back down at my lap in case he did the same thing again. I just kept my eyes low, ready to look up in case, even though inside I wanted nothing more than to just vanish into a black place of darkness and shadow, where no one could see me.

One of the other men grunted. "Let me get straight to the point before Mitsukuni-sama sends us off track."

Mitsukuni frowned. "Is that how you speak to your Lord?"

"No, forgive me, Mitsukuni-sama," Mitsuyasu said in a monotone.

"Woman," Mitsuhisa, the third brother said. "It is said that you appeared out of the depths of the lake that lie on the outskirts of this town, and saved our young successor, Akechi Mitsuhide, from drowning. You were in strange clothing and do not look like someone of this land. The people of this town say you are a Witch of the lake, a Demon. Is that true?"

I pressed my lips into a thin line. What would his expression be like? Scornful? Mocking? Amused? Because his voice certainly did not show it. But I would not have been surprised. What he said sounded silly. How could anyone simply appear out of nowhere? Did such creatures exist in the real world? I had often wished they did but the nightmares made me think again.

Glancing up, I noted with surprise that his expression was passive and non-judgemental. He was not mocking me. Did . . . did that mean that I had a chance? Did that mean that they may believe me?

I gulped.

"No, my Lord," I said, my voice hoarse. "I am an ordinary human."

Mitsukuni raised an eyebrow. "A human, yes, but an ordinary one, no."

I did not respond.

Mitsuyasu suddenly stood. "Stand up, woman."

I stared up at him with wide eyes. Stand before the others stood? Stand right in front of them?

"Must I repeat myself?" Mitsuyasu said with growing impatience. I quickly looked down and shut my eyes briefly, taking in a shuddering breath. Hopefully, the death would be quick.

I stood – and noticed why they wanted me to. The men were _normal_ height. And when I say normal, I meant that they were the same height as the men from the twenty first century, standing at near six feet. Stunned, I looked Mitsuyasu up and down, unable to stop myself. How could he – they – be so tall for this era?

The Lady hummed thoughtfully. "She is certainly tall for a woman when out in the public."

"But amongst us, her height is normal," Mitsuhisa noted.

"You may sit again."

I obeyed, burning to ask what they meant. I swallowed the questions, feeling them sink like stones to my stomach.

"There is the possibility that you may be a spy," Mitsukuni said. "Do you deny that claim?"

A spy?! That would get me killed for sure. "No, my Lord," I answered almost immediately.

"Do you have any proof? What clan are you from? Who sent you here? My son tells me you saved him but what if you were the one who caused that cliff to collapse? It would have been an excellent strategy. Cause the collapse to drown my son and then rescue him, earning our trust, gaining information on us and then forwarding that onto your masters."

My lips parted in dismay. It would make sense. But to accuse me of such a crime was outrageous!

"I would never do such a thing!" I exclaimed angrily. "I have no proof, but neither do you. You cannot accuse me of attempted murder without proof for that alone can be considered a crime."

They all stared at me and I realised my error with horror. I had spoken out of place in anger without meaning to. I had spoken out of line in such a manner against these Akechi Lords and Lady. My heart galloped in my chest. I had basically just signed my death warrant. Would apologising make it better?

_Of course it wouldn't! _I cried internally.

Mitsukuni chuckled, catching me by surprise and I snuck a glance up at him. He grinned. "I like this woman," he said. "There is fire and a fighting spirit in your heart, very different from the water you are supposed to be orientated with."

I blinked in disbelief. "Akechi-sama is not going to execute me for the way I spoke?"

"Why would I? I trust my son's words. He may be young but he is intelligent and sharp."

_So it had been a test?_ I thought in dismay.

"However, it does not explain why you were in the lake," Mitsuhisa pointed out. "Nor does it explain why your features are so unique, why you are so tall and why your clothing is so unusual. It is of material we have never seen before that can be sold for a fortune. Anyone would suspect that you are not of this world and have risen from the Demon world."

I frowned. "I am not a supernatural being."

"If you are not a being of the lake, then how did you appear within it?" Mitsuhide asked, finally speaking. Everyone, including me, looked to him. His gaze was strong for a young boy. If he was like his father and uncles, then that meant he would match the growth and years with the boys of my era. That would put him at either eight or nine years old. He certainly could not be any younger or older because of one small fact.

Mitsukuni was still alive. I knew for a fact that he died in 1538. So that meant this year should be either 1536 or 1537.

Mitsuhide held my gaze and in the end, I looked away, lost within the memories and dreams that had somehow merged together as one. Should I tell them of where I came from? Of how I jumped through time?

I cast a quick and solemn gaze around them, judging what their responses would be from their current expressions. Would they laugh and sneer at such an impossible story? I could not think up of anything else to say.

I opened my mouth and slowly, tentatively, quietly, I began to explain how I ended up saving Mitsuhide's life. My story flowed from my lips.

* * *

At the end, the six of us sat in silence. The sound of nothing beat against my eardrums and I did not even think of looking at them to see their expressions, too humiliated, too embarrassed and confused. Such a story sounded ridiculous, a story of a time that had not come to pass yet for them, of Kitsunes and Tengus, time jumping –

It truly did sound absurd. Any moment I expected them to burst into roaring laughter. But despite how insane it sounded, it was the truth.

The room stayed silent. They did not laugh. I frowned in puzzlement.

"So you are from a time that is five hundred years in the future?" Lady Akechi questioned.

"Yes, my Lady," I confirmed quietly.

"Hmm. Does that mean you can tell who wins what future battles?" Mitsuhisa asked with a chuckled. "Heh, you could even make us the Shogun." The two younger brothers chortled away at the idea.

My eyes widened. I did not know the history _that_ well! I just knew some of the key dates and the battles, but aside from that, I knew next to nothing of went on in between the battles or why they started.

Mitsukuni elbowed them. "Ignore them," he said. "We will not ask you to do that." He then took a deep breath. "If what you say is true then that means that you are definitely not a spy and you owe allegiance to no clan yet. What is your name, woman?"

I did not answer straight away for some reason, but my heart held me back from saying _Annie_. In my dreams, I was called _Aki_. The Demons of this world called me _Aki_. It began with an 'A' which was close enough to my real name and it was Japanese enough to fit in with those around me.

"Aki . . . Just, Aki."

"Aki . . . no family name?" Mitsuyasu asked.

I shook my head. _Williamson_, would be a mouthful to handle. I swallowed a sigh of sadness, feeling a longing in my heart for my family already. My family name would have to be left behind until I could find a way back to my time. I had to find a way back. There was always a way. One just had to look hard enough and long enough in the right places.

"Just out of curiosity, how old are you?" Mitsukuni then said curiously.

I glanced up at him dubiously. "Eighteen, my Lord."

Their eyes widened. "Eighteen and unmarried?" Lady Akechi exclaimed softly.

I looked down. "Marrying early is frowned upon in my world for one is still considered a child at that age and therefore with a lack of responsibility. People do not usually get married until they are at least in their twenties."

Their eyebrows rose, as if they could not believe what they were hearing. It was not a surprise. Girls and boys as young as fourteen got married in these times.

Mitsukuni shook his head. "That is unimportant. You have no family name therefore you – in effect – belong to no clan or even a province on this land. I offer you a place amongst my family to serve the Akechi, as payment for saving Mitsuhide's life." He looked at the people beside him. "Do any of you object to that?"

They shook their heads and I gaped. They were letting me live? They were letting me live _with_ them? Even as a servant. This was far better than I could have ever hoped for. I was expecting worse: being thrown in prison, a beggar on the streets, or worst case scenario – a prostitute in a brothel, which I would never agree to. I had my pride and dignity.

This act of kindness brought tears to my eyes and I had to blink to keep them at bay.

"However," Mitsukuni added, making my heart sink. "As you are from a different time, you must therefore be lacking in etiquette to be a servant or maid in my manor."

My lips twitched in irony.

"Though you seem to know enough of the basics," he continued. "No matter, as you saved my son, I wish for you to serve him directly. Become his bodyguard."

My eyes flickered between Mitsuhide and Mitsukuni. Mitsuhide's expression was unreadable, astonishing for one so young.

"I do not know how to fight though, Akechi-sama," I said meekly.

"We will teach you," he said with ease. "And you will teach my son to be as adapt in the water as you. Many Samurai meet unfortunate ends through natural disasters as well as by the sword. You will serve him directly above all, even above me – though I do come second," he added sheepishly.

I blinked hard and lowered my head to hide my overwhelmed expression of relief and gratitude. Such an act of kindness was not what I had been expecting from this meeting at all. I bowed.

"Thank you," I whispered, before turning to the young boy. "I swear that I will serve Akechi Mitsuhide until I die. I am yours to command and use."

* * *

Instead of being told to get to work straight away, I was allowed the morning to settle in more appropriately. I was given a pleasant kimono to wear so I was dressed in a manner that made me fit in. They gave me something to eat and then Kenji showed me around the manor and its grounds, explaining things as he went along. No matter where I went, I was stared at for my unique face and height. Though here, height was not as much of an issue as the guards and soldiers were of adequate height. A good diet meant one grew better. Therefore of course the commoners and peasants would be shorter.

The day went by in the blink of an eye, yet it seemed to take a thousand years at the same time. The sun tracked its way across the sky before setting beneath the western horizon. I sat on the veranda with my mug of tea, feeling the air cool to a comfortable temperature and the air became stiller, tweeting with the last of the birdsong that diminished with the dying sunlight. Crickets chirped somewhere amongst the trees and the long grass.

The air was peaceful and I gazed up at the darkening sky, watching the stars come out. The last of the sunlight died completely, leaving the sky filled with glittering stars that was unlike anything I had ever seen back home, even in the countryside where I lived. The stars were so huge and numerous they overlapped each other like clouds of shimmering light, twinkling gently. It was so _clear_!

It was breath-taking. There was no light pollution here.

"You would love to see this sky, Dad," I whispered, thinking of his passion for astronomy. Thinking of my father made me think of the rest of my family, and before I knew it, the tears were running down my cheeks. I sat alone, so I did not stop them as they fell freely.

The full scale of my situation finally hit me in an overwhelming tide of emotion. I was out of my time, in a foreign land with strange people. Everything I was used to did not exist. Everyone I loved and cared about had not even been born yet. I had been stolen from my time and cast into the past where I would have to adapt quickly or die.

I was truly alone.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Again, sorry for not updating this as often as I probably should -_- I wasn't actually expecting to get any favs and follows for this story, so I am really, really happy that some of you are reading and enjoying the story so far, even though I haven't got that far into the storyline yet ^^  
**

**Oh and I changed 'castle' to 'manor'. I forgot that the Akechi were a family of retainers that served the Toki. Therefore their place in society isn't high enough to warrent a castle for themselves yet, I think. If I'm wrong and they did have a castle in the 1530s-1540s then please tell me so I can fix it. Thanks!**

Chapter Three

I tried stretching in my new kimono which Yuko had to help me into. It was extremely plain, and for good reason as I would be wearing this while in the water.

Still, all these oriental types of clothing were very complicated to put on, especially when compared to a T-shirt and a pair of jeans. The socks were not comfortable at all and neither were the sandals. The servants of the manor had let me keep my original clothing, but it was impossible to wear that now. It was just too different and strange.

_Who would have thought that me, a girl of Chinese blood, would end up in Sengoku _Japan_? _I thought in irony. _My Chinese ancestors won't be so happy; neither would my English, especially due to the events of the World Wars. Damn World Wars. At least I probably won't be around when World War 3 hits my era – if I'm still here in the past._

Stepping outside into the courtyard, I tried to see how big a stride forward I could make before the hem of the kimono stopped my legs. I did not get very far.

"These are more restrictive than they look," I muttered under my breath, trying to work out what I could do about it. I glanced up at the few servants and guards in the courtyard. The clothing that the guards wore looked much easier to wear. The hakama gave their legs plenty of room for movement.

My head rocked back and I closed my eyes against the sunlight, exhaling in defeat. "Women sure have it hard in these times, no matter which land they're from it seems."

"What do you mean?"

My eyelids flew open and I turned around. The young Mitsuhide stood behind me. It took me a moment realise that I was supposed to bow.

"G-good morning, Akechi-sama!" I stammered.

"Good morning, Aki-senpai," he greeted in a surprisingly calm tone.

My eyes snapped up to him. "Senpai?!" I repeated.

He titled his head to the side. "You are my senpai though, are you not?" He asked, walking ahead of me to the stables and I followed him, scratching the back of my head in awkwardness.

"I . . . I guess." Never did I think I would be called 'senpai', especially by a young Lord. It felt incredibly strange, especially as Mitsuhide was far my senior in status – but not in age.

Mitsuhide . . .

It had been a couple of days now since I had woken up after arriving in the sixteenth century. The Akechi Lords were kind in allowing me to stay and even live in the castle. Yuko and Kenji had been spending the last few days helping me learn some of the etiquette that I was not familiar with, as well as teaching me how I should be addressing my superiors, and how to dress, in addition to what the plans for my near future were.

It was stressful, as there was no time for me to get used to all this on my own. I had to adapt quickly. Perhaps I could never get used to this and the fear in my heart would never go away. However, after my emotional breakdown a few nights ago, I certainly felt somewhat better. A good cry and river of tears did wonders sometimes.

"Where will be going?" Mitsuhide's voice cut through my thoughts and I looked back up at him. "Up river?" A guard gave him a hand up onto his horse. I eyed the horse dubiously. Could such a young boy handle a creature like this? It was certainly an attractive mount. The horse – a male – was with grey hair and a black mane and tail.

"Not the river yet," I said, moving out of the way of the horse. "Swimming in currents is hard enough for a skilled swimmer. I suggest a lake, Akechi-sama."

He grinned. "Alright. How about the one where we first met?"

_Where we first met . . ._ No one had ever said words like that to me. I found myself blushing for some godforsaken reason because of it.

"If that is what Akechi-sama wishes," I mumbled.

He led his horse out of the manor. A few guards accompanied us to act as his bodyguards, and Yuko also came with us with a few extra useful things: mainly food and towels. She was the maid that was with him on the day he almost drowned. At first, she had been incredibly wary of me, but very quickly, she seemed to have taken a liking to me instead. She saw me save his life.

I was thankful for her company. Yuko was a kind and generally happy woman, judging from what I had seen so far.

"I will be very relieved when Mitsuhide-sama can move in the water with the same skill as you, Aki-san," she said gently.

_Aki-san_, I thought to myself, listening to the new name that I had now decided to call myself. Here in this time, I was Aki.

Annie Williamson was left behind in the twenty-first century.

I smiled at her, masking the sudden ache in my heart for home. "The younger that people learn, the better, as their skill will only ever grow."

"When did you learn to swim?" Mitsuhide questioned curiously.

"At the age of four years, Akechi-sama," I replied. I watched him raise his eyebrows as curiosity passed through his expression. Even though he was a young Lord, he was still a boy, which made me smile.

"Four?" He exclaimed. "So young. Then again, we begin swordsmanship at similarly young ages as well."

_His grammar is really good for his age,_ I found myself thinking, processing his use of words.

"What made you learn at such a young age?"

My attention returned to him, frowning slightly as I tried to grasp his personality. The children of my time felt very . . . childish . . . compared to him.

"My father is a Captain of the merchant navy. The sea is in his blood, and therefore mine."

"So out of obligation?"

"And because it is an extremely vital skill. From where I come from, most people can swim. It is useful, as well as fun," I said, sighing faintly. Going to the beaches and swimming pools brought back memories, of both good and bad times.

I looked ahead, letting my eyes fall over the stalls and shops of the town. How different it was to the modern towns of twenty-first century.

The people of the town were going about their everyday business. Many paused briefly to greet Mitsuhide with jolly smiles. The young boy returned those smiles. I watched in awe. So young, yet he had the trust of the people and he greeted them back with confidence.

In history, Mitsuhide was a very controversial figure. Some records described him as a benevolent and understanding figure. Whereas other records described him as a silent snake with a sharp wit and dark heart, with just as dark ambitions, waiting patiently for his chance to strike. Because of his controversial personality, it also made it impossible for historians to decipher why Mitsuhide turned against Nobunaga.

I shivered. _ If I still live to see that time come to pass, then I guess I will find out._

1582 was the key date. Right now, it was 1537.

Mitsuhide spotted me staring at him. "What are you thinking, Aki-senpai?"

I blinked, and quickly looked away. "Nothing of importance, Akechi-sama," I said quietly. Judging from what I could see of Mitsuhide so far, he was not the figure that records said was evil and cunning. He was the kind and benevolent figure.

Sadness washed through my spirit. He had a very controversial life ahead of him, with a pitiful death at the end.

"Tell me."

I frowned at the ground. "I was just thinking that Akechi-sama is very mature for his age."

The little boy laughed. "I cannot be childlike and ignore my responsibilities, can I? I am heir to the clan after all."

I smirked slightly to myself. _Ah, not so benevolent after all. Of course the boy would feel pride and arrogance with regards to his position._ My expression darkened, thinking of the present day, or in this case, the future. _The Japanese have far too much pride._

_He has not even thanked me yet for saving his life._

"Oh, Aki-senpai. Can you not call me Akechi-sama? We already have enough members of the family being addressed as that. It becomes confusing."

I raised an eyebrow. "Then how . . .?"

"Call me the same as what Yuko uses."

I glanced back of Yuko, and then back at him. "Mitsuhide-sama."

The little boy nodded, satisfied. "Good."

A sense of giddiness spread through my body. I was addressing Mitsuhide himself by his first name – with the honorific as well of course. It felt like an honour.

We made our way to the lake of our destination. It was empty, which was a surprise for me.

"Why is there no one here?" I wondered aloud thoughtfully. "On a day like today, I suspected that it would be busy."

"They're too afraid to come here since you appeared from the water," Mitsuhide said, somewhat bluntly.

My shoulders sank. _Overly superstitious idiots._

One of the guards took the horse away to a close tree. The other two guards stood somewhere nearby in shady areas, and Yuko stayed close, dropping onto her knees to lay out the kit she had brought with her.

Mitsuhide had stripped to his loin cloth in no time and began wading through the clear waters. It impressed me that he seemed to have no fear of it since his experience. I also winced slightly. They did not have boxer underwear in this country or this era.

Yuko helped me lift and tie the bottom of my kimono higher.

"Much better!" I breathed. "I can move my legs easier now."

I then move to a low branch and asked one of the guards to cut a slab off, something akin to the size of a pillow. The guard eyed me dubiously and did not move an inch.

"It depends on why you want the branch, Aki-senpai," Mitsuhide said from where he was in the water. "If you intend on attacking me with it, then of course the guard will not cut it for you."

My expression fell. "I would never –!" I stopped, glancing at the guard again. He would not believe it anyway so I sighed. "I want to use it as a float for support. It is better for Mitsuhide-sama to hang onto that rather than me."

The guard looked to Mitsuhide for confirmation. The boy nodded. I resisted the urge to say 'See? I'm not going to do anything.'

The guard chopped the branch for me and I then waded into the water with it. The bark was smooth.

I began to teach, by making him hold onto the branch and then kick with his legs. Teaching a skill in a sport like swimming was harder than it looked. I adored teaching, but my field of teaching was in mathematics, often helping my friends and then students in the younger years that struggled with it. Teaching maths was much simpler.

Being in the water was refreshing, especially when the sun peaked at midday, beating heat down onto our heads.

"Why do you keep looking up?" Mitsuhide asked out of the blue while we took a break. He sat on the rocks in the sun while I was in the shade, but still close enough to him for conversation.

I glanced at him. _He is not afraid to ask what is on his mind, it seems, _I noted. _I'm not sure if I want to be impressed or irritated. He is very observant for his age, considering people find me very difficult to read._

"My body seems to have a weakness against heat," I sighed. "Especially my head when in direct sunlight. But today is alright. There are plenty of areas here that are in the shade and the water keeps my head cool."

Mitsuhide also glanced up briefly, squinting, and then looked away again with a slight expression of pain on his face, no doubt from the sun's glare.

"Summers are extremely hot here," he said. "Most people normally stay indoors during late morning, midday, until after mid-afternoon."

I snorted softly and nodded. "Perfectly understandable."

After five more minutes, we began again and kept at it until the sun was beginning to set. Mitsuhide dried himself down and got dressed, while I sat on a rock, letting the setting sun dry me. They gave me a funny stare but did not bother me about it. It was unlikely that I would catch a cold.

"How well did you think you did today, Mitsuhide-sama?" I asked him, taking the same approach to my student as my driving instructor had with me.

Mitsuhide looked thoughtful. "It was adequate. I could have done better for it does not look difficult." There was a tiny ring of impatience in his voice. It was expected.

"Everyone makes mistakes, Mitsuhide-sama," I said carefully. "Especially during the first couple of lessons in anything. It is good to see that you are analytical of yourself, Mitsuhide-sama, as it will make you see faults and mistakes that you can improve on. But in my opinion, you did far better than what I was expecting. You are full of potential."

His eyes brightened. "Really?"

I nodded. "Just after today, you have grasped the basic concepts of how to make your body float and how to kick. Honestly, all new learners would take at least seven days or so for that." I watched him carefully as his features brightened further. Children had to be given constructive criticism and appraisal for them to do well in any topic.

My mind and body felt very tired as we made our way back to the residence. Yet to my surprise, Mitsuhide still seemed to be filled with energy. Youngsters always had so much energy.

I chuckled softly to myself. _I sound like an old lady._

As we walked back, I subtly made him pick out more of the faults from today's session, asked him on how to improve on it, and then added my own voice to his conclusion. All in all, I was extremely relieved to have a pupil was that as good and as composed as he was. Instead of throwing a tantrum when he made a mistake, he just turned bitter or a touch snappy.

Once back at the manor, Mitsukuni himself greeted us with a broad grin.

"Well Mitsuhide! How was it? Is our newly employed sensei a failure?"

My jaw dropped. "Failure?" I exclaimed in dismay, before I clamped my hands over my mouth at the mistake. _I must not talk unless spoken to!_ I chided myself. It was extremely difficult to behave as such, especially when I was so used to the twenty-first century forms of behaviour.

Mitsukuni ruffled my hair. "I was joking," he laughed.

"I address her as _senpai_ rather than _sensei_, Chichi-ue," Mitsuhide said. "She is too young to be called _sensei_ in my opinion."

I was not quite sure whether that was an insult or a compliment.

"Alright, _senpai_ it is," Mitsukuni agreed. "Please come with me, Aki-san. I would like to discuss today with you."

Mitsuhide bowed to his father, before the man turned and I followed him into the manor. Somewhere behind me, I heard Mitsuhide dash off somewhere, no doubt to go and play with friends I suspected. Everyone hated lessons, no matter what they were in. That was my opinion anyway, and the opinion of everyone I knew.

I followed Mitsukuni through the manor, staring at his back. He was very tall compared to the other men I had seen in this area and era. He was _normal_ height by my standards. The man also had a very likeable personality. He reminded me somewhat of my own father.

We sat down on a veranda and Mitsukuni called a maid to bring tea.

"How did my son do today?" He asked.

I nodded a bow, and explained to him how the session today went. My description was in detail and occasionally he interrupted to ask a question. The questions he asked were surprisingly intelligent, unlike the obvious questions that I was expecting from someone of this current time. Mentally, I chided myself for underestimating this family and their intelligence for this era.

At the end, I said, "That is all I can report for today, Akechi-sama." I bowed.

Mitsukuni nodded. "You have given me an excellent report, more so even than those in the patrol squads that report on an incidence. It would probably be more beneficial if you were the ones giving the reports," he chuckled.

I stiffened. Reporting on fights and incidents? For that I would have to be able to fight and in the ranks of the military of some form. It was a frightening thought, and something I did not want to get involved in just yet.

"Certainly for this week, I would like you to report to me as you have done so today after every session with Mitsuhide," he said. "By then, all of us would have a better idea as to what to expect from you and when we can also begin your training to be his bodyguard."

"Yes, Akechi-sama."

He nodded, I bowed again, and I was dismissed.

Once the screen was shut behind me, I walked away and when it was quiet, I paused and let out a huge breath, releasing all the tension and stress that had been building all day.

So far so good.

* * *

Mitsukuni sat in silence, listening to Aki's light footsteps as she walked away. With his sensitive hearing, he still heard her when she stopped and sighed explosively with released tension and stress.

He laughed softly under his breath. She hid her nervousness well. But it had to be released at some point. He wondered if she would learn at some point of his family's true nature and bloodline. Would she run?

His smile vanished. _No, I do not think so. Especially if what she said was indeed true – jumping from one time to another. Finding out that my family is of Oni blood would not surprise her as much as it would for someone else._

Mitsukuni thought back to her description of the Yokai that had brought her to this time. Their descriptions were familiar, not because he had seen them before (because he had not) but because beings of that level were legendary amongst the Yokai world. He had heard of them. The Toki family which he served and was related to, were a family of Purebloods amongst the Oni, which made he and his brothers also of the same status, even if they were of lower social standing in the human world.

The Purebloods had the highest ranking in the Yokai world, but there was still a class that was higher and rare, and they were the Superiors.

He sighed softly. _Clearly they have brought her here for a reason. This is not by chance or mistake. Whatever her role is, it plays a large part in our present time. She will play a large role in Mitsuhide's life, I think. _

Could it be fate that the cliff had collapsed and Aki saved his son from drowning? Was it just a coincidence?

Mitsukuni shook his head slightly. People of his kind did not believe in coincidences, because everything _did_ happen for a reason.

The Lord gazed out into the garden. _For what reason did our Superiors bring you here for, Aki?_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"All in all, Mitsuhide-sama has made incredible progress this week," Aki concluded. "He has already grasped the basics of swimming, which will be his foundations as he learns more and develops his skills. I will continue to hone his basics so before long, he will have a firm grounding in these skills."

Mitsukuni nodded as he listened to Aki's conclusion. "Of course. Practice makes perfect. One cannot proceed further unless they master the basics."

"Indeed, Akechi-sama," Aki agreed.

"I hope you will take that advice with you when you begin to practice kendo," Mitsukuni said with a raised eyebrow.

Aki glanced up at him with slight surprise, and perhaps hope, until she quickly cast her eyes back down again, not responding to his comment.

This intrigued Mitsukuni slightly. It appeared that she hoped she could begin to learn, but dare not say or indicate otherwise in case he decided against it and her hope may be crushed. Except it was not entirely up to him to decide.

"Thank you for your report, Aki. You may take your leave."

Aki nodded. "Akechi-sama," she murmured, bowed, and then backed out of the room past the screen, keeping her head bowed until the screen closed between them.

Mitsukuni smirked. She was learning the etiquette and way of speaking quickly, which was not much of a surprise, considering his wife took it as her duty to teach the young woman how to behave properly. It was certainly interesting to observe. Aki's behaviour showed confidence and brutal honesty honed with personal opinion, courtesy of the time she originated from. However, there was clear evidence of her respect for elders and superiors, which was very helpful, as well as patience and surprising understanding of others. She was also rather interesting.

He shook his head with a soft chuckle, amazed at how the Superiors had sent Aki to them. Her arrival had made things very entertaining this week.

"Mitsuhide."

He waited for a moment, and then his son slid open another screen, kneeling on the other side.

"Yes, Chichi-ue," Mitsuhide said, bowing and then moving to sit before Mitsukuni, hands resting on his knees.

"Did you hear everything Aki said?"

Mitsuhide nodded. "She is very kind in her report, yet also critical." He said the last bit with a hint of grudgingness to his tone.

"Yes," Mitsukuni agreed. "It is very good. I think she is quite surprised by your progress."

The corner of Mitsuhide's lips twitched in a smile at the compliment, but also in amusement over something else.

"She is not aware of our blood and our natural ability to excel in academics and physical demands," Mitsuhide said simply.

"No," Mitsukuni agreed. "I wonder how long that will last."

Mitsuhide glanced up at his father with a slight frown but Mitsukuni did not expand further.

"What do you think of her as a senpai?" Mitsukuni then asked his son.

Mitsuhide looked past Mitsukuni's shoulders and out into the garden in thought. Mitsukuni smiled slightly just to see his son's expression. He was so young, yet very mature. But to Mitsukuni, Mitsuhide was a boy and would probably always view him as such. Every parent said the same thing. No matter how old their children grew to be, their children were always children in their eyes.

"She is very observant and gives clear explanations for each of her teachings, sometimes using examples so I may understand better," Mitsuhide began slowly. "She is more patient than my other senseis, I think, and not as demanding as the others."

"Ho?" Mitsukuni chuckled again. "Is she too soft then?"

Mitsuhide did not reply immediately. "No, not exactly." He then sighed. "I find her difficult to describe, Chichi-ue. She is patient and may seem soft, yet I see anything but that behind her eyes. She is determined and wants to see me perfect something, both physically and mentally understand it through and through, before she will allow me to move onto the next skill or have a break."

Mitsukuni's expression grew more serious as he listened, nodding slightly, liking what he heard. However, he held it at an arm's length, for he could not be sure of this until he had _seen_ it himself.

"So do you think she will be suitable to begin learning kendo?" Mitsukuni then suggested to his son.

Mitsuhide grinned for a moment. "From what I have seen so far, I cannot see why not. But, she is quite old to begin learning. Don't you think it is a bit pointless for her to become my bodyguard as her skills will not be as good as the guards that surround me?"

Mitsukuni inhaled deeply, before breathing out slowly. Indeed, Aki would be very late to begin kendo, and her skills would probably never be as good as those of the simple guards that remained close to the manor. Having Aki as Mitsuhide's personal bodyguard was out of the question really.

However, as a Pureblooded Oni, Mitsukuni was not ignorant enough to not sense that Aki had been sent to the Akechi for a reason. Was it something to do with his son?

That is what Mitsukuni felt, therefore he also felt that Aki should remain close to Mitsuhide. And as an Oni, he would obey what his instinct hinted at, whatever that may be. The answers were never clear, but soon enough, the small parts of it would come together to provide the answer.

"We shall see how well she does," Mitsukuni decided. "I will have her train under Makoto beginning tomorrow."

"What about my lessons with Aki-senpai?"

"You can have the day off tomorrow," Mitsukuni said, waving his hand dismissively. "Then we will try and partition the time between everything that both you and her must learn. I will figure that out later. You are dismissed."

Mitsuhide nodded. "Very well, Chichi-ue."

His son bowed, and left, leaving Mitsukuni once again to his thoughts, wondering what the Superiors intended for the Akechi by bringing Aki to them from the future.

* * *

I felt somewhat stupid, wearing the full kendo gear in the dojo. It was heavy and all the seams were in the wrong places, like all the other clothes I wore. Occasionally I sat, staring at my twenty-first century clothes in self-pity, wishing I could wear it as it felt more comfortable.

Still, there was nothing I could do about that. I was here in the sixteenth century so I had to pretend I was one of that time, whether I liked it or not.

Makoto was a middle-aged man with gradually greying hair. He approached me with a bamboo katana and instantly, I felt my heart pound in both giddiness and nervousness. This was my first lesson in kendo. It was something I had been looking very forward to, as well as dreading.

I had learnt some basic self-defence when I was fifteen. Of course though, I had forgotten all of it, so this was an excellent opportunity to learn some form of combat in order to defend myself in this land and time. It was a terrifying thought though that I may have to use it to defend my life one day, or that of someone else.

_Mitsuhide-sama . . ._ I thought. I was eighteen. How was I supposed to be able to become a good enough fighter to protect the young Lord? It was not realistic.

_Or does Mitsukuni have something up his sleeve . . .?_ I wondered in wariness.

It was something I had thought over for many hours before I slept and after I woke. In the end, I came to no conclusion, and probably never would.

"This is what you will be using for a few years to master the basics," Makoto said, handing the bamboo katana to me with two hands along the bamboo blade.

Bottom line was, I was eager to learn kendo because it looked cool.

I wrapped my gloved hand around the hilt firmly as Makoto taught, and then he took his hands away. The bamboo katana yanked my arms down and the tip met the tatami floor with a clack.

"Oof!" I grunted, dismayed at the weight of it.

Laughter rang in the air and automatically, I looked towards the source, already feeling my face begin to burn in embarrassment. Mitsukuni and Mitsuhisa stood along the edge. My jaw dropped in disbelief.

"Do not tell me you are that weak," Mitsukuni said.

"That isn't even a real katana," Mitsuhisa added.

"I have never done this before, and it's heavier than it looks!" I objected.

Makoto nodded. "This is a lighter version of a real katana. Until you have mastered the weight of this one, you will not move onto one of the true weight, or wield a true katana."

"Do not disappoint us, Aki," Mitsukuni almost taunted. "Makoto could be training other guards right now but we have persuaded him to spend some of his precious time to train you instead for now."

I gulped, feeling the pressure and I bowed quickly once again. "Thank you very much for taking the time to teach me, Makoto-sensei. I hope I will not disappoint you."

Makoto just grunted, and then our lesson began. He was strict with discipline which was frightening, forcing me to think or move in ways which I was not comfortable. There was no _easing_ me into the skill of swordsmanship. It was as we always said in the modern day: I was thrown into the deep end of the water to either swim or drown.

I swam.

At the end of the day, Makoto said, "You did better than I expected. You show potential, especially for a woman. Very few women think like a man."

I bowed humbly, struggling to bring my gasps for breath under control. "Thank you very much, Makoto-sensei. I have learnt much today."

Mitsukuni and Mitsuhisa clapped in approval. "You are indeed very unusual for a woman here," Mitsukuni said with a grin.

"Do all women think as you do from your era?" Mitsuhisa asked curiously. "Do they all think like men?"

My eyes widened in alarm and flashed to Makoto. How could they speak of it so carelessly in front of others?

Mitsukuni held up a hand. "Relax, Aki. He is not fussed on it. You are still a normal human being. We live in an age of Tengus, Kitsunes, Oni and Yokai. Your little case is no different to that."

I was not convinced, but Makoto just grunted again, uninterested, and left the dojo. Yuko hurried over with a towel so I could wipe the sweat from my face and neck. My entire body was sweating, and the uniform did not help.

"So?" Mitsuhisa asked again excitedly and I glanced at him. He was a bit like Mitsukuni, with a good sense of humour, though not as cutting as Mitsukuni. Mitsuyasu was different to both of them, being the man who was the most serious.

I shook my head. "Most women are no different to the women of this era. It is simply in the design of a woman. But where I am from, men and women are of equal standing and power."

Their eyebrows rose, as did Yuko's. There was burning curiosity in her expression which she was careful to not show to the Lords.

"Interesting," Mitsuhisa said slowly. "Your training will be split with Mitsuhide's training so there is no overlap. If you are to remain in this household, you will also learn martial arts. We will take care of your schedule."

_Martial arts?!_ Being knackered as I was, it was not something I wanted to hear. My body was aching all over, and it would be worse tonight and tomorrow morning especially. I was really not in the mood for more work.

But this was how my parents brought me up: trained to deal and get on with whatever hateful situation was dumped on my shoulders, so that I would excel.

I bowed again to the Lords.

"Go and get cleaned up and have a rest for the remaining evening," Mitsukuni said. "You deserve it. Tomorrow, you will be back to teaching Mitsuhide."

"Yes, Akechi-sama."

"Oh! That's another thing I wanted to mention," Mitsukuni suddenly said. "When I am with my brothers, you should use our other names. So call him," he pointed at Mitsuhisa. "_Mitsuhisa-sama._ And call our other brother, _Mitsuyasu-sama_, and call me, _Mitsukuni-sama_. There are three _Akechi-sama_s so none of us are going to know who is being addressed."

I nodded, feeling partly relieved as that other problem was now solved. The two Lords left, and Yuko led me to the baths so I could clean down all the sweat and ease my muscles and joints.

* * *

The days began to pass and gradually, I fell into a routine. A month passed and I was beginning to recognise familiar faces. Some accepted me into the household, while others did not. I was fine with that though as it was understandable. Yuko and Kenji had become my friends to some degree. Even the Lords and Lady Akechi were accepting me.

Another month passed and I was beginning to adapt. My training in martial arts and kendo was going well. Though, I could tell that I would never develop skills as well as that of the Lords in the short amount of time that was my youth. Still, I tried to strive for competency.

Mitsuhide was learning extremely well too. Occasionally he had thrown a tantrum when he could not perform a stroke correctly, which was actually a relief. Mitsuhide was a child, and should behave as such, never mind what expectations were placed on him as being the successor of the clan.

Mitsukuni and Mitsuhisa were as talkative as ever. Mitsuyasu looked as uninterested as ever. Mitsuhide was as curious as ever and Lady Akechi had apparently gone about her way to take me under her wing as a daughter that she never had. She felt nothing like a mother though, trying to train me to become more ladylike and adept in the culture and etiquette of this land.

I stopped what I was doing and stared out of the open screens at the approaching night, watching the rain fall without the wind. Tears stung my eyes as I thought of my parents once again. I missed them terribly. The Akechi family were nothing like my family. Even in the modern day, my family were rare.

When my life was settled down more appropriately, then I would go and search for the three Yokai that had brought me to this time. It was ironic though. I had spent years dreaming and daydreaming of being sucked back into time to a place which truly interested me, whether that be ancient China, Egypt, the Hittite Empire, or Sengoku Japan, often wishing that I could escape the real world and go into another where it would be more fun, where I could have superpowers.

It was nothing of the sort. I was extremely lucky that Mitsuhide happened to be drowning when the snake Yokai brought me through the water. They were now indebted to me, providing me with a place to stay and some form of security as payment for saving their heir's life.

I wondered what would have happened if circumstances were different. It was not as easy as the modern day, where I could apply for benefits and there was no war (aside from the constant conflict in the Middle East). Here, I would have to find a way to earn money just to buy food, let alone find somewhere with a roof. Mind you, it was the same in the modern day, except things were softer, attitudes were more understanding.

It made me shiver, to imagine how different it could have been if I did not emerge from that lake. I would probably have to become a prostitute, living amongst other people's own sewage in back alleys. I could be raped, beaten, killed even.

_Frightening indeed,_ I realised, feeling cold.

I shook my head, a weak attempt to shake the terrible imaginings from my head, and looked back down at what had previously taken my attention. My bag, which I had been wearing the day I came to the Akechi, lay on the floor beside me, along with all my papers and books, pens and pencils – and a completely dead mobile phone.

A small sigh of misery escaped my chest. At least half of my stuff was ruined. Paper had been ripped and fallen to pieces when it was wet. Some of the work which I had written using a fountain pen was now smudges of blue ink. Work in biro pens was still fine to some extent, but the dried paper was not.

_Well, there isn't really much point in all of this now,_ I thought grimly. _I can't write my work anywhere here._

What really irritated me though was the amount of _effort_ I had put into all of this, and now it was wrecked. All that time was wasted.

At least some of my pens still worked and my spare notebook could still pass as a notebook. No doubt it would come in handy.

"What is all of that?"

I glanced up and made a surprised sound. Mitsuhide stood on the veranda, having walked around the edge from some other part of the manor. He was alone.

"Mitsuhide-sama. Do you not have a guard or servant with you?"

He glanced about him. "No. I don't have to always have a guard with me wherever I go," he said, almost childlike with a slight grumble. "I am heir to my clan but we are not as powerful as those like the Toki."

I smiled in amusement. "Yes, but you are still important nonetheless. It would devastate all of us should something terrible happen to you."

"Really?" He asked quietly.

I nodded. "Of course." I then picked up some of my belongings. "Now, would you like to see what strange things I brought with me to this world?"

Mitsuhide's face lit up immediatly and he plodded over, sitting close to me. He peered at some of my papers and his eyes widened.

"Is this . . . paper?" He picked one of them up.

"Yes. Ah, please be careful with them. They've been damaged by the water."

"Paper is so expensive though, yet you have so much."

"Ah, yes," I said sheepishly, remembering. "In the age that I come from, paper is very common and extremely cheap."

He touched it all with a child's burning curiosity. The little boy in front of me was nothing more than a boy, having discarded his position as young Lord behind him and he grinned.

"Your world must be filled with wonders!" He breathed in fascination.

My expression softened. "Indeed, it is filled with many wonders."

He glanced up at me, sensing my solemn tone. "I'm sorry; I did not think that that may make you sad."

I shrugged and chuckled. "Well, what can be done? There is no point in moping and waiting for something that may never come." I would always feel sad over my situation, but I would not allow myself to wallow in self-pity. I was here, and therefore I wanted to be of use, even if it was a tiny bit. And I was happy, oddly enough, especially now. Mitsuhide apologised, showing his true childish side, and not the arrogance that his position brought him.

"What is this?" Mitsuhide questioned, holding up my papers with still visible writing. "Is this another language?"

My smile widened. "It's my mother tongue – English. This is what it looks like in writing."

"Can you read it out loud?" He asked excitedly.

I laughed. "Alright." And so I read my work out. It was pleasant, to hear my voice in English again. I thought in English, muttered under my breath in English, and cursed in English. But I had not spoken like this in English since coming to the 16th century.

Mitsuhide listened in awe and before I knew it, he was making me teach him the basics, such as 'hello', 'goodbye', and 'how are you?'. I praised his enthusiasm, for I knew it would not last.

Still, that evening had been the best since I had arrived. We spoke and laughed and taught. I told him of my time – the twenty-first century.

* * *

Mitsuhide blinked sleepily. The light was dim, for it was the light of dawn. The birds were beginning to wake and the air was comfortably cool, nothing like the cloying humidity of midday. The rain had stopped

He lay on his side, still in his clothes from yesterday evening. Aki lay in front of him, sleeping as well and still holding the writing stick she called a 'pen'. Her face was peaceful.

They had talked into the early hours of the morning before they feel asleep. Mitsuhide had been too lazy to go back to his own quarters, which was a little surprise for him. It had to be something to do with Aki's light-hearted attitude. He felt like he was getting infected by it.

However, it was nice. For some reason, her presence made him feel at ease. Of course, she irritated him to no end, like his other teachers, but she also spoke to him as a friend, even though their ages were as vast as almost ten years.

Mitsuhide sat up and yawned. Aki shifted in her sleep and he stiffened. She rolled over, and her breathing deepened again.

He smiled faintly, stood, and silently left, deciding it was about time he returned to his own quarters. The maids had come to collect him a few times last night, but he had shooed them off, far too interested in listening to what Aki had to say of her time.

At first, she seemed quite dull. She was anything but that.

With a smug smile, Mitsuhide walked on, wondering what other stories Aki had to say of her time.

* * *

**8 months later; early 1538; winter.**

Mitsukuni sat in silence, his expression unreadable. Aki sat before him. Her eyes were downcast and tired with sadness. The screens were closed to the biting winter air outside, but that did not stop the cold from penetrating into the manor. The braziers only helped a little to chase away the chill. Birds sang though, bringing some life to the deadness of a winter atmosphere.

"I wish I heeded your warning, Aki," Mitsukuni sighed. "Knowing the future is a curse, not a gift." He wished he never asked and forced her to tell him his son's future.

Aki neither nodded nor shook her head. Her expression told him that events like this were not the first time for her. Despite that, he did not press further about what she could be capable of. What she had told him however, was already written in her history.

"Is there any way to alter Mitsuhide's fate?" He asked quietly. It seemed like his son had a long life ahead of him, one that initially brought pride to the Akechi name and made them great. But, was Mitsuhide really destined to bring about one of the greatest – and tragically treacherous – events in Japanese history, and die?

Aki inhaled slowly. "Perhaps. But the world I come from is created from the events that happened in the past. If something significant changes, then so does the future."

"But Mitsuhide is just one person."

"That brought about the Japan that I know in my current time. If Mitsuhide does something different, then this country will also be different. It will change the lives of millions of people."

Mitsukuni felt his face pale. _So many lives. _He had never felt like this before, never felt so helpless and small in the face of something that was beyond anyone's control.

"Japan is one country," Mitsukuni said, feeling his mouth go dry. "And a small one as well. If Mitsuhide can do things differently, then it may be for the better." Despite his heart pounding in hope, he did not let it surface beyond that.

Aki exhaled softly. "He could, for he is a boy with a good heart, judging from what I see so far. But there is nothing to say that he will not change."

"If you remain beside him as he grows, then I doubt he will become a man who is hungry for power and control," Mitsukuni said flatly. "With your knowledge, he could make this land a better place."

"Again, perhaps," Aki said quietly. She sighed. "But it is not so simple. Japan is just one country, yes, and always remains that way. But in four hundred years' time, the people of this land will attempt to become heartless conquerors that will massacre millions and millions of people from the many countries surrounding this one. You are quite hated in my time because of that."

Mitsukuni flinched.

"If Mitsuhide could survive his fate against the warlords in the future, then he could well change the foundations of thought that the people of this land live upon," Aki said. "He could change the future. But if that occurs, then future events in my time will change, some things may never have even come to pass. People that live in my time, may never have lived at all because of the events in the past. My parents may never have met, and I will disappear."

Mitsukuni's eyes flashed to her face in shock.

_Aki will . . . disappear?_

"But how?" He frowned. "You are not a native of this land, or . . ." He trailed off, thinking again of what she had said about the Japanese invading the surrounding countries and massacring them. Did she originate from one of them?

"On my mother's side, my ancestry is from China. You will know of it as the Middle Kingdom."

His eyes widened. Just hearing of the Middle Kingdom made it feel like a great weight was weighing down on him from behind. It was a great empire, an empire of stunning history and culture, from where many things in Japan truly originated from. Japan's ancestors came from Korea, but much of the language and culture came from the Middle Kingdom.

Mitsukuni's eyes then narrowed in sudden dismay and anger. The people of Japan in the future tried to invade _them_?

_How dare they? Such disrespect, such shame and dishonour!_

He looked back across at Aki. So, she was someone of that empire.

He snorted softly at the irony. His Superiors brought such a person to them. "What is your true name, Aki?"

She smiled faintly, and traced the kanji out on the tatami with her finger. Mitsukuni followed every motion.

"In my mother's language, I am called _Hai Ting_," she said gently. "_Hai,_ meaning the _sea._ And _Ting,_ meaning _graceful_."

Mitsukuni smiled and chuckled. "How accurate."

His smile faded as quickly as it came and his expression fell. He did not want her to fade. Even though she was not his daughter, it was like she was.

"What do I do to protect my son?" He whispered.

Aki's shoulders sank. "For now, just do as you always have done, Akechi-sama. Protect your son as any good father would. Now is not the time to worry, for Mitsuhide-sama's life is calm and uneventful at the best of times until he is much older."

Mitsukuni held her gaze. "Will you guide him?"

Aki bit on her lower lip. "That will depend if I am still around by that time, Akechi-sama. I may have already discovered a way to return to my own time, or I may be dead. These are very dangerous times to live in."

Mitsukuni looked away. It was difficult to think of how to proceed with this new development. But he knew for certain that Aki would not be returning to her time any time soon. The Superiors sent her here for a reason, and Mitsukuni was beginning to feel that it had something to do with Mitsuhide's future.

Aki was still young. She would stay by Mitsuhide as he grew. But with Mitsukuni's position, he never knew when he may be forced to fight, or if he would die.

"Will you promise me something then, Aki?"

Aki looked at him with unwavering eyes. She gave an awkward side smile. "That will depend on the promise, Akechi-sama."

He laughed softly. He liked this gentle, joking confidence.

His expression hardened again though. "While you are in this time and in this land, protect Mitsuhide. If I am not here, then protect and guide him in my place."

Something flashed through Aki's eyes and her jaw clenched. Confusion flitted through Mitsukuni at her faint reaction, but her reaction was gone in an instant.

She bowed. "I promise."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Ok, ok, I know I said on my profile that I won't be posting anything until the end of sept, but I've had this and the next chapter ready for a while now and seeing as I'm in such a good mood today, I'm going to post them up. So hopefully you enjoy!  
**

**Recap:** Annie flew to Japan to do research on her novel to write a fictional piece on Mitsuhide's life. While visiting a temple, she was sucked into the past by Demons. Upon saving 9-year-old Mitsuhide's life from drowning, the Akechi family took her in as payment for saving their son. She took on the new name of 'Aki' and became a teacher to Mitsuhide in the skill of swimming, as well as being assigned as his bodyguard. She cannot fight though, so Aki has now been instructed to learn kendo and combat from Makoto (kendo and martial arts teacher). Mitsukuni (Mitsuhide's father) had Aki tell him of Mitsuhide's future, and has made Aki promise to always guide and protect his son. Can she keep that promise though?

**Underlined phrases ****in dialogue are said in English.**

Mitsukuni – Mitsuhide's father (1497 – 1538)

Mitsuyasu – Mitsukuni's brother (d.1556) **I can't remember if I made this date up or if it was a historical fact. It was 2 years ago and bloody hard to find. As this is just a fanfic, the historical events and dates don't have to be accurate. This is just to fit in with the storyline.**

Mitsuhisa – Mitsukuni's brother. **No idea when this one died. Most likely 1582 like the rest of the clan.**

Lady Akechi/Yamagishi-hime – Mitsukuni's wife (d.1575)

Mitsuharu – Mitsuyasu's son (1537 – 1582)

Mitsutada – Mitsuhisa' son (1540 – 1582)

* * *

Chapter Five

**1538; February**

I strolled through the gardens of the manor in the early morning. It was misty and quiet, enveloping me in a false sense of security and peace. It was perhaps eight o'clock or so, if I was trying to estimate using my world's methods of measuring time. But it was still dull with winter. Late February it was.

While I preferred the cold over the scorching heat of summer, the biting iciness of the air was still grimly uncomfortable. My haori was wrapped tightly about my quilted kimono. It was nowhere near enough, and I wished for my long cashmere coat back in my wardrobe in England, four hundred years in the future.

I snorted softly at the insanity of it all. Thinking about the time loops was incredibly confusing which often left my head aching from it, but it never ceased to fascinate me. So many people wrote stories based around time, especially stories where time was repeated over and over again. They were extraordinary plots and if done well, it was superb. Usually it left me marvelling at how well they had strung it together, as well as feeling envious at their skill for I could not do it.

And it made me wonder about my situation. The promise I made to Mitsukuni weighed heavily on my shoulders. He did not know that he would die later this year.

It had been almost a year now since I was brought to this time and to the Akechi. Nine months. It was a long time, and yet it only felt like yesterday. And I was worried because a lot was about to happen soon.

Mitsukuni would die in September. How? I was not sure, but the knowledge brought me great sadness. He was a jolly man who was like a father. He governed his clan well and served the Daimyo of Mino – the Toki – well.

However, in four years' time during the year 1542, Saito Dousan would rise to power and Mino would be split with civil war.

The Akechi would side with the Toki – and the Toki would lose.

I ground my teeth together at the circumstances under which that coup d'état would occur. Dousan was a sly bastard, truly worthy of being called the Serpent of Mino. It made me shiver to realise that I would probably be serving him in four years' time if I was still here.

"Why are you out here if you are cold?"

I stiffened at the voice and turned quickly. Mitsuhide morphed out of the mist like a mist wraith. I stared at him for a moment, forgetting that he was a young boy, because for a moment, he felt like something more, an immortal being of the supernatural with hidden power.

"Mitsuhide-sama," I exhaled in relief. "You scared me for a moment."

He – along with all the other members of the Akechi family by blood – was very difficult to notice when they approached from behind or the sides. Unless they made it obvious, I was having a hard time detecting their presences.

He sniffed. "So you say. Yet you don't look it."

I raised an eyebrow.

"I may take it as my task to make you scream in fright. You are not like the other girls and women," he pondered, tapping his chin and I laughed awkwardly.

"I had best be prepared then for some unsuspecting pranks."

Mitsuhide smirked mischievously. Over the months, he had earned a lot more confidence in my presence. He spoke to me about a lot of things, which I found surprising as I thought that everyone of this time were conservative and kept their thoughts to themselves. More often than not, they did not even think outside the box.

So perhaps I had judged the people of the sixteenth century in general incorrectly. Or maybe it was just because Mitsuhide was a bit different to the others. It was nice. Because he was a bit like someone from my time in that respect. He was extremely talkative, reminding me of my neighbour's grandson back in England. My family and I adored him.

I wondered how Mitsuhide's personality would change later on though, and when. In recorded history, he was not as talkative as this. But then again, there was not much about his history anyway.

"You are nearly ten years old, Mitsuhide-sama," I noted.

He frowned. "Ten years old? How do you know that? No one ever knows their exact ages."

I smiled. "You were born on March 10th. That is less than thirty days from now, though I can't be sure because I don't know if this February is a leap year," I added with a sigh under my breath. He looked at me, confused.

"Mara-chu? Fe-buri . . .?" He struggled to pronounce the English words I had just used.

I chuckled softly. "I will show you later how time is measured where I come from." I peered at him and he blinked, leaning back slightly as any young child would when under the scrutiny of a taller senior. "Do you celebrate the days of your birth here?"

"Ano . . ." he trailed off, confused by my question. "No?"

I sighed. Such celebrations like birthdays did not seem to exist. No doubt it was a modern day thing. My birthday was last month, making me nineteen. Although I was never fussed on birthdays or presents, it felt quite empty and lonely when no one said to me 'happy birthday!' this year.

No matter, I would treat Mitsuhide to something similar. I just had to figure out what he may like that I could afford. No doubt he would want something like a horse or a katana for later when he grew older. What about toys? I had not seen him play with any though. Food?

He liked sweets.

I grinned.

"Why are you smiling?" Mitsuhide asked warily.

"No reason," I said lightly.

He huffed. "There is a reason. You do that a lot."

"Do what a lot?"

"Make expressions for no reason. You're obviously thinking of something."

"Oh?" I mused. "You are very observant, Mitsuhide-sama. Can you tell what I am thinking?"

He crossed his arms and looked away, miffed. "Who would want to?"

I laughed and ruffled his hair. "I'm not as dull as I appear."

Mitsuhide rocked back on his heels with a small exclamation and tried to slap my hand away. These carefree moments were what I cherished the most. Because no one knew what lay around the corner the next day.

* * *

Mitsukuni sat where he was, drinking hot tea which his wife had brought along. She stood next to the screens which were slightly open, allowing her to look outside.

"Jubei* has taken a liking to Aki," his wife said. "It is a pity that she is only human. Her knowledge will be invaluable."

Mitsukuni chuckled. "It is a good thing then that she is with us and not with another clan. And it is chilly, my Yamagishi-hime**. Care to close the screen?"

Lady Akechi glanced back at him with a dubious stare. "Pretending to be human? We do not feel the extremities of the weather as they do."

Mitsukuni sipped his tea, feeling the heat of it warm his belly. "It is simply good manners. We are surrounded by fragile humans. The cold is very uncomfortable for them."

Lady Akechi sighed and slid the screen shut. "I do wonder why our Superiors sent her to us. Could it perhaps be her knowledge, her potential? She is very intelligent, and a fast learner in combat as well as etiquette."

Mitsukuni shrugged, but lowered his tea with a grim breath. "I do not know. But at least I can rest easy knowing that Aki will keep watch over Jubei if we are not around."

"We will be here for a long while yet."

"Indeed," Mitsukuni said deeply. "For we are immortal Oni."

_Unless we are struck down_, he thought silently. _Immortality does not necessarily mean living for eternity. A blade will still be able to still our hearts. Immortality simply means that we will keep on living – provided we are not killed._

* * *

I drew out a little calendar and explained to Mitsuhide how it worked. During these nine months, I had explained a lot to Mitsuhide and he absorbed it like a dry sponge. A child's curiosity was almost impossible to quench, and if he remembered it all, he would be one of the most intelligent samurai to have lived.

That made me hesitate. I was not supposed to be in this day and age. My knowledge was not of this time as I knew of things that had yet to be invented. If Mitsuhide knew of some things, it could change history itself.

But what if that was supposed to happen?

It could not happen though, because if it did, then I would disappear as the future would change, which would then mean that I would never be born and I would never have been transported back in time.

My head spun. I could barely understand my thoughts.

"Aki-senpai?" Mitsuhide interrupted my thoughts. "You stopped in mid-sentence."

I shook my head and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. I was just thinking. As I was saying, there are twelve months in the year, but that works only in the solar calendar. You follow the lunar calendar from the Middle Kingdom so it's a bit different, but the general principles are the same," I carried on explaining, only half there while the rest of my attention was on worrying.

I could not risk changing history. Could I even do such a thing though? I was just one person, and not even someone who knew much about Japan's history either.

_I must wait and see_, I thought to myself. _There is still a long way before Mitsuhide reaches the mid-1500s when things start to happen. I will make sure that the course of history follows its normal route._

. . . Because I was afraid of what might happen should events start to change. Was I afraid of the prospect of disappearing?

My shoulders sank slightly and I watched Mitsuhide mull over the calendar diagram.

_No . . . I am not afraid of disappearing_. I was afraid of my parents and little sister disappearing. If they did because of the events that I changed, then in effect, I killed them.

Mitsuhide reached to my bag again and touched one of the string decorations attached to it. I just called it a key ring, even though it was not as there was no metal on it. It was from Hong Kong at a market stall where they sold hundreds of the little things – red looped string attached to jade and a few beads of more jade. I had quite a few, considering they were so cheap, and one of them was still attached to my dead mobile phone. One was a dragon, and the other was a tiger. There were at least ten of mine back home, but only two with me currently.

"Is this from the Middle Kingdom as well?" He asked curiously. He had eyed it a few times before, I noticed.

"What makes you think that?"

"Well, Chichi-ue said that half of your bloodline originates from the Middle Kingdom," he first said and I found myself rolling my eyes. Mitsukuni was as much of a child and a gossiper as a normal person, despite his position of authority. "And, I recognise the style."

I titled my head to the side. "I guess you could say that. It is Chinese, yes. It is actually from a pirate island along the south coast of the Middle Kingdom. In my time though, it is a thriving city of global importance under the control of the Middle Kingdom."

"I would like to see it all one day," he murmured.

I scoffed. "If you can live for another four hundred years at least, then you can see it. Until then, I suggest focussing on the present."

He muttered something under his breath and I frowned. "I beg your pardon?"

He quickly shook his head. "Nothing of importance."

I huffed at the comment. It irritated me to no end when someone said that, but unfortunately, Mitsuhide was a young Lord so I could not pursue it. In the end, I swallowed my prompt back down. They felt like pebbles sinking in my stomach.

Mitsuhide looked at the one of my dead mobile. "A tiger and a dragon," he stated. "Good choices. Why did you pick them?"

I raised another eyebrow. "What? Mitsuhide-sama is actually interested in finding out reasons behind such a simple purchase?"

Something in that question must have struck a chord within him, as his face began to turn slightly red and he looked away. "Not really. I am just curious," he mumbled.

I stared at him, before a grin stretched across my lips. The boy was actually interesting in discovering how I thought. Reasoning behind my decisions.

"Are you interested about me?" I teased. "The strange woman from another time?"

His face went redder. "N-no I am not!"

I laughed. Teasing was entertaining. I had dished out a good deal to my friends back in England, and received my fair share of embarrassment in return.

"Well," I began, saving Mitsuhide further embarrassment for his young curiosity. "I chose the dragon because it is a legendary mythical creature of great celestial power and divine elegance. And I chose the tiger because of its animalistic superiority in the wild, its grace and power, but mainly because that was what my father used to call me when I was little."

"Your father called you Tiger?"

"I had a very bad temper back then," I breathed with remembrance. "The temper of a tiger when she roars."

Mitsuhide looked stunned. The redness of his cheeks was already fading. "You are lying," he challenged.

I untied the tiger key ring from my phone. "People change, Mitsuhide-sama," I said with a slight shrug. "I used to be very loud when I was around 5 years old. I used to sing and dance all the time, as well as cry and throw tantrums." I looked back at him. He appeared to be struggling to accept the vast changes, or to try and imagine how I was back then. The woman in the room with him now was nothing like that. "You will probably change as well, Mitsuhide-sama, but for the better. Age often makes one wiser."

"I don't want to change," he said firmly.

"Of course you won't."

He looked confused at that statement.

"The general foundation of your personality will always be there. Right now, you are very observant, calculating and fair, as well as kind. That will remain with you for the rest of your life. It's just other little things may change, such as how chatty you are. Maybe in say, hmm, eight years' time or so, you will become less talkative, but you may still retain the general principles of your personality."

I could tell that while Mitsuhide attempted not to show it, he was struggling to understand the concepts I had pounced on him, so I smiled. "Don't worry; you will understand my words when you are older. Now, my own little question; which creature do you like better? The dragon or the tiger?"

I was expecting him to say the dragon, as that was more like him. Therefore I was surprised when he said the tiger.

"Why?" I asked, my turn to wonder what went on in his head.

He shook his head stubbornly and placed a finger to his lips with a sneaky smile. "Secret. Maybe one day in the future, I will tell you."

I sniffed. "How cruel. You know many of my secrets and yet I know hardly any of yours."

He laughed, a sound filled with secrecy. "Again, maybe I will tell you in the future."

I sighed. "Fine."

A knock came at the screen. "Mitsuhide-sama, Aki-san."

"Come in, Yuko," Mitsuhide said.

Indeed it was Yuko who then slid the screen open and I mentally praised Mitsuhide for being able to notice. Then again, he had spent his entire life so far in her company, so he should be able to recognise her voice by now.

"Aki-san, may we ask you to help with Mitsuhara-sama?" Yuko asked.

Mitsuhara was Mitsuhide's young cousin and Mitsuyasu's son. Born in 1537, the boy was nearly a year old.

"Of course," I replied. "May I have your permission to leave, Mitsuhide-sama?"

Mitsuhide waved a hand dismissively. "Go, go. I will put your things away, seeing as I know where it all goes now anyway."

I flashed a nod of thanks, gave a small bow, and left with Yuko, still dubious if I was trusting Mitsuhide too much.

* * *

I made my way along what could only be called a high-street. It was March 10th, and I found myself feeling surprised at how nice the weather was compared to the UK, where March was always such a gloomy and rainy month. The air was still chilly, but the sun was bright and chased some of the chill away.

Women and a few men cast glances in my direction. Normally, I would not meet those eyes as my moto had always been 'if I cannot see them, then they do not exist'. Of course though, this was a different time and I had to adapt. So I cast emotionless glances at them in return, irritated that they would stare in the first place. The men looked away with a sniff, and the women looked away with a blush and a giggle.

Why they blushed?

Well, that was because I was dressed as a man. It was Yuko's suggestion. My height really made me stand out amongst normal women in particular, so dressing as a man would make me look a bit more normal. And seeing as I was virtually flat chested anyway, it made my cross-dressing easier.

My arms were crossed and tucked within the sleeves of my haori; my hair was tied back with a leather band and from that leather band swung my little jade key ring on its red string. I had the dragon, while I planned on giving Mitsuhide the tiger along with some mochi once I found some.

I was not in any rush, and I paused at some stalls to see wares and stopped to watch a troupe of travelling performers. While I smiled at the entertainment or the fascinating wares that no longer existed from my time, my body would not relax.

Last night, I dreamt that an incident happened while I was in the town. Most people would pass a dream off as a dream, but for me . . . things were different. They were more than that.

I strolled and kept my senses open, until I found a stall filled with freshly made mochi, and the staff were working to make more as many people bought their wares. Immediately my expression brightened and I walked over, peering over the shoulders and heads of the people in front of me.

When enough had bought their selection and moved out of the way, I shuffled into the space available and the stall owner gave me a toothy grin.

"What can I do for the handsome young Lord?" He asked.

I blinked at the misplaced complement. "What? I am not a Lord?"

"Really? You have the features –"

"No! Please don't take my daughter!"

The stall owner, me, as well as the other customers, turned around at the shrill cry that was accompanied by mocking laughter and wary murmur. Other people had stopped to look.

There were three men. One was holding back a woman, and the other two were trying to drag away a young girl barely fourteen years of age. That is what I had come to assume anyway over my stay here. She actually looked like she was twelve, but this was a different age. Body structures and sizes were very different compared to the modern day.

"It's alright," one of the men cooed. "We will bring her back tomorrow."

"No, Oka-san!" The young girl said desperately. "Don't let them take me away!"

One of the two men handling her tugged her arm harder. "Oi, we are samurai. We keep your roads and towns safe. Don't you think we deserve a reward?"

Fury exploded in my chest as I caught on immediately. She was only fourteen for Christ's sake! And no one was helping at all.

The alarm bells rang in my head as the dream I had last night came into fruition, again.

_Why? _I thought angrily. _Why do my dreams have to come true? I don't want to see the future._

I moved my way through the building crowd, trying to analyse the situation. Getting involved was not something I wanted to do. And I had only been learning martial arts for nine months or so. The men wore katanas and I gulped. My only weapon was a knife hidden up my sleeve.

_Come on, someone, do something! _I prayed. The shrill cries of the mother and daughter felt like the tiny stabs of a needle.

"It'll be fine," the men boasted. "We will take good care of you."

My stomach rolled sickeningly. They wanted to rape her? And no one was going to stop them from dragging her away to her fate?

With cold fury, I stepped from the crowd behind the two men holding the daughter. Remembering my training and my own knowledge of the human body, my hand flashed out and caught one of the men across the side of the neck, striking a nerve and blocking the carotid artery temporarily. The man jerked with a grunt, and collapsed unconscious on the ground, causing a few people to cry out in shock and step back to give more room, as the realisation a fight might occur dawned on them.

Without hesitation, I kicked the second man's wrist, cracking the scaphoid and he yelped, jerking his hand back. The girl gasped in fright and I pulled her behind me protectively.

"Honestly, no matter what the era is, scum like you will always exist," I growled at the two men still standing.

"You bastard!" The second one snarled, clutching his wrist. "What did you do?"

"I broke your scaphoid," I said flatly, knowing full well that he would not understand what the scaphoid was, nor the result when it was broken. "You will no longer be able to wield a katana for as long as you live."

"What did you say?" He shrieked.

I was in no mood to repeat myself, particularly as I did not know what the Japanese word for 'scaphoid' was. My heart was already pounding hard enough as it was from terrified nervousness. I glanced at the mother. Her tearful eyes flickered between me and the man that held her with frightened hope.

"Let the mother go," I said slowly to the third man.

He smirked and gripped the mother to him tightly. "Give us the girl, and I will release the mother."

The girl behind me whimpered, clutching my haori. She did not want her mother to suffer such a fate, but neither did she want to experience it. And I was not going to allow either of them to be raped.

"If you do not, then we will take the mother instead," he said sickeningly, stroking the woman's cheek with a finger as he held firmly to her chin.

"Oka-san!"

"You'll pay for kicking me, you bastard!" The second man yelled. "I'm going to pound that pretty face of yours to the ground!"

Everyone immediately took another step back with a rippled yelp as the second man charged at me.

"Ack! Shit!" I cursed. From my peripherals, the third man drew his sword and let go of the mother, flinging her back into the crowd.

I fell into a stance, my mind working furiously to work out how I was supposed to protect the girl behind me and fight at the same time.

"_Although you are not physically strong, you have impressive reaction times and great speed," _Makoto told me a while ago. _"When faced with a stronger opponent, you must find a way to use their strength against them."_

My jaw clenched. Normally in this kind of situation, I would simply move out of the way at the last minute and strike him from behind. I used similar tactics in the playground games I used to play with friends in the past (minus the striking bit). But I was protecting someone behind me, so I could not use that.

I made a split second decision at the last moment just as the second man swung his healthy arm for a punch.

_Use his momentum against him!_

I jerked my head to the side and moved, enough to make the girl behind me also move in the direction that I wanted. I caught his fist and swung him around with his momentum, forcing him to stagger ungracefully around me and the girl, until I released his hand and he collided with the third man. Clearly the third man had not been expecting some 'pretty boy' to actually counter.

A murmur went through the crowd as the three men groaned on the ground. A few courtesans giggled at the humiliation. My heart hammered away.

_What the heck? _I thought in dismay. _I put down three men in barely five minutes. I'm still a newbie fighter!_

The third man glared at me. "You . . .!" In a split second, his hand flashed out and something glinted in the light. He threw a small dagger. I had no time to react, let alone register what it was until a hand flashed out in front of my face and caught the blade.

Everyone gasped, and my eyes widened. A tall man stood beside me.

"Akechi-sama!" They exclaimed.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," he sighed under his breath, tapping the flat of the blade against his cheek. "What is this terrible commotion?" He flicked his fingers and the small dagger had imbedded itself in the ground next to the third man. His cheek was bleeding. I did not even notice the blade move.

"Get out of my sight!" Mitsukuni said sharply. "Otherwise you will have more than a cut cheek, broken wrist and unconscious comrade."

The two men scrambled to their feet, hoisting the third between them and stumbled away as quickly as they could.

Mitsukuni cast his gaze around the crowd and immediately they shuffled. "Let's get back to work. The problem is solved," he said, and to my relief, the crowd dispersed.

Despite that relief though, I frowned at him. "You are going to let them get away? They should be whipped!"

Mitsukuni glanced at me with a quirked eyebrow. "Whipped?" He repeated in amusement. "I did not think that you of all people would have such a strict mind."

I scowled. "What is that supposed to m –?"

"Oka-san!" The girl cried again, leaping into her mother's arms and they wept together, sinking to their knees. I looked on them with sympathy and smiled gently, crouching down, and hugging my knees to give off an air of gentleness.

"Are you both all right? Are you hurt?" I asked them

They shook their heads and the mother prostrated herself on her knees to bow low. "Thank you very much!" She exclaimed, her voice filled with relief and tears. "Chiyo! Thank the young Lord and Akechi-sama!"

The daughter followed suit with her mother, bowing low and managing to stammer out a thanks of gratitude through her hiccups.

I laughed softly. "I am not a Lord. And I am glad you are both alright." I stood and the two looked up at me and Mitsukuni.

"But, you look –"

Mitsukuni patted my shoulder. "He is a new recruit of mine. Osamu-san."

My eyes flashed to his in alarm. He just smiled back with an underlying threat to keep my mouth shut. I obeyed.

"Thank you once again, Akechi-sama, Osamu-dono!" The mother thanked. "We will never forget your kindness!"

Mitsukuni shooed them away, leaving the two of us, and two of his guards, alone on the busy high street.

The guards were two that I knew and they nodded at me appraisingly. "You did well, considering you've only been training for nine months," one of them said.

"Indeed," Mitsukuni agreed.

I quickly turned to him and bowed. "Thank you, Akechi-sama, for coming when you did. If not then I may be blind in one eye now."

He chuckled. "While I am the Lord of the manor and this town, it is my duty to protect everyone under its roof. Later on in the future though, you will become quick enough to dodge an arrow or even catch a flying knife."

I shivered, not wanting to ask how I would practice for that. Would someone be firing arrows and knives at my head to see if I could dodge them?

_Surely not, _I tried to tell myself. _That is stupid._

"Why did you give me another name, Akechi-sama?"

"I will explain that as we walk back. Have you gotten everything you need?"

"Oops, no not yet," I said hurriedly. "I came out specifically to buy something for Mitsuhide-sama."

"Something for my son?" Mitsukuni questioned curiously, following behind me as I headed back to the mochi stall.

"Yes, Akechi-sama," I said, mulling over the dozens of different flavours. "You will not do it here as it is not an Asian thing, but where I come from, it is a tradition to celebrate the anniversary of one's birth by giving them a gift."

"Really? How strange," Mitsukuni sounded interested. "What sort of gift?"

"Anything that that person likes," I suggested, picking four mochi in the end. Two were black sesame and the other two were green tea.

"Astonishing," Mitsukuni said. "You even picked two of his favourite mochi. We do not buy much and if we do, then it is not those flavours as they're always sold out."

I paid the stall owner, wincing as the precious coins were passed from my fingers to his open hand. With one last glance at the red bean mochi, I turned and walked back to the manor with Mitsukuni, remaining half a step behind him. One of the guards walked in front, while the other was behind.

"How do you know that Mitsuhide's date of birth is today?"

"It is recorded in history. Probably not as we do in my time, but historians have managed to work out the exact date by comparing others and analysing history."

"Hmph. Do you know mine?" Mitsukuni sniffed.

I gave a wry smile. "Unfortunately not. I only know that you were born in 1497, which was around forty-one years ago, meaning that you are either forty or forty-one."

Mitsukuni chuckled. "Ah, I am growing to become an old man."

"Hardly," I scoffed. "You still look like a man in his mid-thirties." I glanced at him in suspicion. He definitely looked younger than what he actually was. How was that?

"Thank you for that compliment, Aki," he mused. "Which now brings me back onto the previous topic. You asked why I gave you another name."

I tensed.

"You came to us through unusual circumstances," he said to me quietly. "And Aki is now your personal name. That should be a personal name that only your closest aides know you by. You need an official name, one which can be used in all situations and also to keep others from getting too close to you. The times that you have gone out nowadays, you have been dressed as a man and I think that will be a very fitting disguise for you in many cases."

Silently I mouthed an 'oh' of understanding, which was then followed by a burst of giddiness. So Aki was now my secret name? And I now had another?

"Osamu, then? It certainly sounds a bit more boyish. What does it mean?"

Mitsukuni scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I thought up of it on the spot as it suited what you said just a moment ago about whipping those men. _Osamu_ means 'study' and 'discipline'. As someone of great intelligence, it suits you well."

I blinked and felt my face turn red at the compliment. "Thanks . . . I guess . . ." I trailed off. "What about a family name? Or am I Osamu Aki?"

Mitsukuni hummed in thought. "Well, to be honest, I have been considering of perhaps adopting you into the Akechi clan."

I tripped and dropped the wrapped up mochi. Mitsukuni caught it before it fell while I recovered my footing. He plopped the little package back into my hands, while I stared ahead of me, stunned at what he had just suggested.

Become an Akechi?

I could not believe my ears. Not even a year had passed yet since I came to them!

"It is just a thought," Mitsukuni continued. "And it will remain just a thought unless you can prove over time that you are loyal to my clan and my clan only."

Astonished, I followed Mitsukuni back to the manor in a stunned silence. It would be a dream come true if I could become a member of the Akechi. It would be an honour.

* * *

* 'Jubei' is the name that the Akechi clan called Mitsuhide when he was younger. It was his first name.

** 'Yamagishi' is the clan which Lady Akechi came from. Hence why Mitsukuni calls his wife 'Yamagishi-hime' as she is a princess of the Yamagishi clan.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Rating has gone up to M for violence and brief reference to rape (in the last chapter). As the story progresses, the M rating will make a hell of a lot more sense.  
**

Chapter Six

I was still considering what it would be like to become an Akechi as I made my way towards the dojo. It was an incredible prospect that Mitsukuni had suggested barely a few hours ago.

_Me! Become an Akechi! _The thought made me grin smugly. It took a huge amount of effort to wipe it off as there was never any certainty in anything. For now, it was just as thought as Mitsukuni said. But what if it became more than a thought?

The clack of bamboo katanas brought my attention back. I made my way around the edge of the dojo until I found a break where the screens were parted, and climbed up onto the veranda silently. Leaning against the edge of the screen, I watched with a faint smile as Mitsuhide trained with Makoto.

The two fought a mock duel. A third acted as the referee, and a few other students between nine and twelve years of age watched.

Makoto was of course the superior. However, Mitsuhide's skill was incredible and I found that my eyes were glued to his young form, watching him strike with deadly speed and frightening accuracy. No child should be able to fight with such skill at such a young age. Yet Mitsuhide did.

Each strike of the bamboo katanas rang out through the dojo. Mitsuhide struck with strength, parried with certainty and stepped lithely.

Certainly within six or seven years, I had a feeling that Mitsuhide would already be remarkably skilled with the katana. Seventeen was a big time for him, as it would be the time that he would become engaged to Tsumaki Hiroko, and he would join the Saito and begin his duty as administrator of Mino and become an officer.

I did wonder though. In recorded history, he was remarkably good with a firearm, and he was better wielding a spear than he was with a katana. He was also supposed to have gone bald early in his life. I rather hoped that he would not, for he was an attractive boy, and it would most likely carry on into his adulthood.

Even though he would become a strong man in the future, for now, he was still a boy, and that boy lost his bamboo katana as Makoto twisted it from his grip, sending it flying through the air to land behind him. Makoto tapped his bamboo katana to Mitsuhide's mask.

Student and teacher removed their masks and Mitsuhide bowed in respect, breathing deeply from the exertion and sweat dripped from his forehead.

"You learn extremely fast, Mitsuhide," Makoto said, handing his katana and mask to the referee and he began to pull off his gloves, indicating that the session was finished. "Soon enough, you will surpass me." He turned to his other students. "Now be off with you! Reflect on today's session and strive to do better. That includes you as well, Aki."

I winced and pulled a face. The others laughed and I smiled back.

"Yes, Makoto-sensei," I said, bowing as a man would for that was what I was supposed to be at the current time. "I will be the best female student you will ever have."

Makoto grunted. "That is a confusing statement, coming from one currently dressed as a man."

The students and the nearby guards chuckled. It made me feel content that I was beginning to really fit in. Nothing could replace my real family, but in the meantime, the Akechi and its members were my family.

Mitsuhide came over to me, wiping his face and neck with a towel. "You distracted me, Aki-senpai. That is why I lost," he said, trying to sound dignified.

"Did I?" I asked rhetorically. "I do apologise for that," I said, allowing him to keep his pride. I held my hand out to take the used towel.

"I am going to get myself cleaned up," he announced, dumping the towel in my hand and marched away.

I snorted under my breath. He had his flaws, but Mitsuhide was certainly a very lovely child. I wished that he could stay like this forever, never growing up to become an officer and then a General under Nobunaga, never being led to betray his Lord and then dying thirteen days later.

For now, I would keep him on the path that followed the history that was already written for him. But I would also protect him.

Promises were not something I made for I could never be sure that I would keep them. However, I kept to my word. Protecting Mitsuhide until I died or returned to the twenty-first century was something I intended to carry out until the end.

* * *

Mitsuhide felt much better after he had cleaned himself of sweat and took off his kendo uniform. He walked back around the dojo to head back to the manor, expecting a guard to be waiting for him. Instead, it was Aki.

She had her arms crossed and hidden within the sleeves of her haori and she watched a raven within the trees. Her expression was faintly sad.

Mitsuhide paused, for she had not noticed him yet. A small pang of guilt struck him and he winced, puzzled at this new feeling within his chest. Aki had come to them from another world, brought here by a Tengu, Kitsune and snake Yokai. He never noticed or even considered that she probably still thought about going back. In the short space of time she had been here, Aki had become as much of a member of the family as him almost. The prospect of her going back was saddening.

He did not want that. He valued her company for she listened and talked with no limits. Mitsuhide could actually say what was on his mind without feeling afraid or embarrassed that his thoughts would be scorned, as they would be if he spoke to his mother. A female maid would simply not understand nor respond to whatever conversation he was interested in.

She was unique and interesting, especially with her new interest for cross-dressing. He had to admit, dressing as a man really suited her. Although she was short for a man in his family, she was a good height amongst the normal folk.

The raven squawked, flapped its wings, and flew away. Aki's head turned to follow it and he noticed the jade dragon hanging from her leather hairband. Her hair was quite long now.

"If you wore a katana, you would look like a Lord," he said, walking towards her again. She looked back at him and her eyes brightened. He liked the way her eyes brightened upon seeing a familiar face. No one else had that openness to their expression.

"You are the third person to say something like that today, Mitsuhide-sama," she said, tapping her chin with a frown. "How can I possibly look like a Lord?"

Mitsuhide shrugged. "More like a noble maybe. Your girlish features make you look like a graceful man."

"Hmph, hardly," she harrumphed before muttering something under her breath that was in the language she called 'English'.

Mitsuhide frowned at the foreign words. He burned with curiosity to understand what she was saying when she spoke in her native tongue. Often though, she did not elaborate.

"Anyway," she suddenly said, pausing to pull something from her sleeves. It was a small package and Mitsuhide's eyes were glued to it immediately with interest. "You are ten years old today, so happy birthday, Mitsuhide-sama! This is a little gift for you."

He blinked, taken aback and he hesitantly took the little package from her. "Happy birthday? What is that?"

She held up her finger and began a small lecture. "Where I come from, it is a tradition to celebrate the anniversary of one's birth by giving them a present. It is a way to say that we are glad that you were born, because if you were not born, then we would never have met."

Mitsuhide felt his face turn warm at the kind gesture. "What a strange and silly tradition," he mumbled, trying to hide his embarrassment.

Aki held up her hands and sighed. "My opinion exactly. But now that my birthday has passed, I find myself wishing for that tradition, even if it did always irritate me. Because within it are gestures of warmth and kindness, filled with happy smiles and laughter." Her tone was tainted with regret. "So every year, on this day, I will give you a little gift, Mitsuhide-sama."

Mitsuhide gazed down at the gift. "Why do you show me this kindness? It is not as if I have done anything for you."

"On the contrary, Mitsuhide-sama, you did something for me right from the beginning," she said softly. "You will not understand it yet, but one day you will."

Mitsuhide was left speechless. Indeed, he did not really understand what Aki meant, but he had the feeling that she was grateful to him and that this act of charity came from her heart. He was so caught up in the moment that he did not even notice someone else approaching.

"Aki!"

Both of them jumped and Aki's expression fell. Mitsuhide glanced over her shoulder to see his mother standing on the veranda of the outer manor.

"What on earth are you wearing, child?" She demanded and Aki turned around meekly. "You are a woman! Not a man. You should be wearing clothing fit enough for a woman with your grace. Now come with me and I will change you into something that you should be wearing."

He swallowed his laughter which threatened to explode from him. Aki's shoulders sank and she followed Lady Akechi into the manor, leaving Mitsuhide alone. So he plodded over to the veranda and sat on the edge, eager to open up this little gift that Aki had left him with.

Mitsuhide unwrapped the first layer of cloth and found to his amazement that the jade tiger was within. He picked it up and stared at it, feeling strangely warm and fuzzy within his body. Had she noticed that he had taken a liking to it? Was that why she asked him which one he liked better? So that she could give him one?

His eyes felt moist and he blinked furiously. To distract himself, he opened up the rest of the package, revealing four mochi inside: green tea and black sesame – two of his favourites. His family, the servants and the maids did not spoil him enough to buy these treats for him.

He sniffed and rubbed his eyes. Something must have flown into them. He picked one up and took a bite. His expression melted as the flavours and textures caressed his tongue.

* * *

Mitsukuni sat in an isolated room with his two brothers.

"Mitsuhide will become a superb Pureblood," Mitsuyasu said dully, as if stating the obvious. "It is as if the might of the Minamoto – our ancient ancestors – have chosen him as their avatar. Indeed, truly worthy of being the Heir of the Oni."

Mitsuhisa chuckled. "The Akechi will no doubt become great when he becomes head of the clan."

Mitsukuni raised an eyebrow. "Oi, I will still be here for quite a while yet."

"Yes, yes, Nii-san," Mitsuhisa said lightly.

"Besides, we are laying low for the time being," Mitsuyasu reminded the youngest brother. "Becoming a large power is not a brilliant idea, nor is it in our nature. Though I guess we could, considering we are Purebloods."

Mitsukuni grunted. Indeed, they could become a greater clan power such as their neighbours the Imagawa, or greater. Instead though, they served the Toki at Nagayama castle.

"Do you think our Superiors may give us a hint as to why they sent Aki to us?" Mitsuhisa pondered aloud. "I hope it is to serve and aid us. She has become quite a part of the clan. And that knowledge of hers is invaluable."

"Her skills in martial arts and kendo are developing satisfactory," Mitsuyasu stated.

Mitsukuni looked thoughtful, thinking of the incident in the town earlier today. He frowned in worry, recalling her expression.

"I think she may be a Seer," he suddenly said. His brothers stared at him, before Mitsuhisa burst out laughing.

"That is quite a serious assumption, Nii-san," he chortled. "No human is a Seer, unless they have some demonic blood within them. Aki is pure human."

"We are already aware that she knows what is to come," Mitsuyasu said flatly. "She is from the future. You cannot call her a Seer for that as it is not actually a natural gift within her."

Mitsukuni shook his head. "No . . ." he trailed off. Perhaps it was too soon to judge. However, Aki was more than what met the eye. His instincts were hinting at it. They had been hinting since she told him of Mitsuhide's fate, because something else had crossed her expression back then.

She was also sharp. Back in the town he could see her begin to puzzle over why he looked younger than his age.

"Aki!"

They all heard Lady Akechi's shrill shout.

"What on earth are you wearing, child?"

Mitsukuni snorted in amusement. "Oh dear. I wonder what my wife has in store for our newest recruit."

He then moved onto the topic of Aki's possible adoption into the Akechi clan. What would his brothers think of it?

* * *

I sat obediently as the maids fussed about me.

"A woman must be dressed in the finest clothing and painted with the best make-up," Lady Akechi lectured. I was dressed in a long kimono of stunning colours and embroidery, donned in a long haori that completely covered my hands and came down to my feet. The maids brushed my hair and powdered my face. It was most likely the first make-over I had ever had – aside from my figure skating competition seven years ago, but that did not really count.

"Someone such as yourself should really be behaving as a noble, enhancing your features through clothing, embroidery, appearances and obedience," Lady Akechi continued before she then sighed. "My husband and brothers-in-law think differently."

_Thank heavens for that! _I thought silently. There was no way I could ever live as a woman in these times. It was so restricting, so boring! But I did like the idea very much of not having to study, and just sitting around ordering people to do this and that. I could be left alone to my thoughts, uninterrupted by the chaos of everyday life.

I could actually write a book with my time – which I currently had little of, still. It was taken up by teaching Mitsuhide swimming and my own learning of kendo and martial arts.

It seemed like no matter which era I was in, there was still no blasted time to do the things that I wanted to do – sit around, think, write, and enjoy food.

_I would be fat if that ever happened though_, I thought warily, relieved that I had a naturally fast metabolism.

"Done," the maids announced softly and withdrew back. They looked on me appraisingly and I leaned back slightly, worried about what I looked like.

"Stand up, Aki," Lady Akechi said, sounding eager despite her serious manner. Apparently I was the daughter that she never had. So now that I was here, she would not miss the opportunity to dress me up. What if I looked like a clown though?

I stood and Yuko approached me with an open box in hand. An extremely old-fashioned (by my standards) mirror lay within, face down. I began to reach for it when a faint knock came from the screen behind.

"Come in, Jubei," Lady Akechi said.

_Mitsuhide-sama?_

The screen opened and Mitsuhide was on the other side. "Forgive my interruption Haha-ue. I just . . ." he trailed off and stared at me. I watched the recognition come a bit late to his dark eyes which widened.

"Is it bad, Mitsuhide-sama?" I asked him with amusement.

Lady Akechi scowled at me. "Of course not!"

Mitsuhide's face turned red. "Nevermind!" He said quickly, slamming the screen shut. I blinked at the sudden reaction, before taking the mirror and looking at my face.

"Christ Almighty!" I exclaimed. "I have never worn so much make-up! How am I going to get this all off?"

The maids giggled. "Mitsuhide-sama is so innocent. That is the first time I have seen him blush!"

I turned to them.

"Even someone as young as him will be able to understand the concept of beauty," Lady Akechi said proudly, standing and circling me with analytical eyes and nodding approvingly.

I gaped at her. "Beauty?" My voice went an octave higher.

"Of course," Lady Akechi said simply. "All girls are truly beautiful when dressed like this. The clothing enhances the elegance that is already present. The make-up refines the beauty that is already there."

I looked away sharply, biting back what I wanted to say and said it in my head instead with bitterness.

_I am not beautiful._

No one had ever said that I was ugly or plain. My friends had praised me for my figure which they would 'die for' as they had said. But I had never had a boyfriend, nor ever been asked out on a date. Often I had looked on other girls with envy, sometimes wishing that I could perhaps be in a relationship as well, wondering what was wrong with me to make the boys avoid me when it came to relationships.

Was it because I was too conservative? Was I ugly? Dull and boring?

Oddly enough, it no longer bothered me much, because I had never taken much of an interest in any boy anyway. There was only one boy I had really liked when I was eleven. But he already had a girlfriend. It took me three years to get over him, and once I had, I just lost interest. Or gave up, rather, all together.

Was I just waiting for _the one_?

Being told that I was beautiful though always stung. I was not sure why. I guess it was just a reminder that, now being nineteen, I had yet to be in a relationship, which was a jaw-dropper in the twenty-first century. Even here in this day and age, a woman who was nineteen would have been married by now.

I looked back down at my kimono and long haori. Even I had to admit that what I wore was beautiful, and it made me feel warm to be dressed like this. Maybe I did look pretty to some extent?

"You will still look young in the years to come, so I wonder how Jubei would respond when he grows older?" Lady Akechi mused.

I blinked, not expecting Lady Akechi to suggest a match between Mitsuhide and I. Gulping back down my laughter, I shook my head.

"There is a ten year gap, not to mention that he will definitely find someone more suitable," I said.

Tsumaki Hiroko was his wife in recorded history. She was two years younger than him and together the two of them had a daughter called Tama, later on known as Gracia. It was said that the two had a harmonious relationship and that he cared deeply for her.

It was something that _had_ to happen, because Gracia was the ancestor of Empress Shoken.

"So?" Lady Akechi fired back. "The age gap would not make a difference. Alas though, if you were my daughter, I would have married you off to a fitting man a few years ago."

"Gyaa," I croaked. Being brought up in the twenty-first century, marriage was not something I wanted to consider for another five years at least.

Mitsuhide would certainly marry Hiroko. But it was also said that he had another wife.

"Akechi-sama," I suddenly asked. "Do you have a younger brother? Yamagishi Mitsunobu?"

Lady Akechi paused her circling and peered at me. "Yes. Why?" She did not ask how I knew, because she would already know that I came from the future.

"Does he have a daughter, Yamagishi Chigusa?"

Lady Akechi raised an eyebrow. "As a matter of fact, he does. She is my niece, the same age as Jubei."

My legs felt weak with a faint sense of relief. Chigusa was actually Mitsuhide's first wife, though it was never confirmed. She was said to have been born with incredible beauty and a charming wit, but was thoroughly ignored by her fiancé.

When I had read about her, I felt awfully sorry for the young woman, for she was actually in love with Mitsuhide, yet he spent most of his time with Hiroko. It was said that she forced him into a room, confronted and admitted her feelings for him. He rejected her, but apparently after that, they reconciled to some extent.

I wondered if it would happen.

"Why do you ask, Aki?"

I kept my expression schooled. "It is unimportant. Forgive me for asking, Akechi-sama."

Although much of the main events in Mitsuhide's life would not happen for many decades yet, there was still a lot about to happen within a matter of years. How would things turn out? Would history follow its original route? Or would it spin off in another direction that was beyond my control?

* * *

**1538 September**

_It was dark. Clouds flitted past the waxing moon. The trees barely swayed. All seemed peaceful, but it was most certainly not. The atmosphere was heavy with the desire to kill and the scent of blood permeated the air._

_I knew that this was a dream, for I watched it unfold before my eyes. I was a shadow that whispered between the darkness of the trees, keeping up with the fleeting figures that swept through the trees in the night._

"_Damn it. Do not let Akechi escape! Kill him for taking my eye!" A figure snarled from the background. I turned my attention to it and found that it was a tall man. A bandage was wrapped around one of his bleeding eyes, while the other eye glowed an eerie red._

_I flinched slightly upon seeing that, before the dreadful realisation occurred to me that all of these figures had glowing red eyes, with black pupils narrowed into fearsome slits. There were horns on the sides of their heads, and they moved with inhuman speed. Their fingers were clawed and their sharp nails were bloodied._

_They were Oni._

_My awareness followed them and sped towards the front of the pursuit. A familiar figure darted between the trees, long hair hanging about him in rags and his red eyes glowed from behind that dark curtain. He ducked behind a tree trunk and grasped the hilt of his sheathed katana._

_His expression was unreadable, but I recognised his face nonetheless with a shock._

_This Oni, this man, was Akechi Mitsukuni._

_He stepped out from the trunk and swiped his katana across, slicing in half an Oni, as well as a tree, with one swing. I gasped at the demonic speed and strength._

_Mitsukuni swept around and sliced three other trees, and the three pounded to the earth, rattling the ground beneath and forcing the pursuing Oni to come to an abrupt halt for a moment. The Akechi Head leapt over the fallen trees, pouncing higher than any human could, making it seem as if he could fly, and he landed on the other side with a swish of his katana, decapitating the closest Oni to him. Blood exploded from the headless stump like a waterfall. _

_The surrounding Oni snarled viciously and pounced on him at once, and I watched in amazement as the greatest fight I had ever seen unfolded before my eyes. He moved in dizzying and confusing spins, his katana lashing out as fast as lightning and with the strength of thunder. Mitsukuni dodged, countered, and killed without mercy. One by one, the Oni fell around him._

_However, they put up a good fight, drawing blood from Mitsukuni and he was forced to move back in order to gain more ground. A figure stepped beside me and I turned my awareness to it. The same man who had given the command a moment ago stood next to my shadow._

_I shied away from his tall figure. He projected a presence of such incredible power and fear. It was nothing like the other Oni. He held an aura of frightening superiority, making me feel like an ant that could so easily be squished between his fingers._

_Yet, he was not the only one who held that incredible presence. Mitsukuni possessed something similar within him._

_Awed fear seeped into my heart. Was this . . . was this man really Akechi Mitsukuni?_

_The man beside me held something that was balanced on his shoulder. It was a firearm. Alarm flared within me. Firearms were not supposed to have been used much at all in Japan until 1543! And this man was aiming directly at Mitsukuni, who was too preoccupied with cutting down those that sought to kill him._

_Desperation exploded within me and I willed myself lucid, taking physical form in the dream. The mental energy required for that was catastrophic and I sucked in a breath of shock from it._

_The man next to me gasped and his eyes widened slightly. I kicked the firearm as he pulled the trigger. His aim went wide and the bang of the release boomed through the woods. The bullet struck another tree at a forty-five degree angle from Mitsukuni, whose eyes snapped to the man instantly._

_My physical body dissolved away into the shadows, leaving just my awareness behind to watch. The Oni in front of me blinked in shock and anger, frantically looking about to see where I went. _

_Mitsukuni killed the last Oni and a Wakizashi leapt to his hand. He threw it at the Oni commander's head, which jerked out of the way at the last moment, stabbing into the trunk behind. Mitsukuni closed the twenty metre distance between them in a flash, bringing his katana around for a swing. The Oni commander drew his katana and swung up. Both blades met with a teeth shattering clang and Mitsukuni's strike was diverted up._

"_Even the shadows are sided with the Akechi?" The Oni commander grunted with a bitter smirk._

"_I am afraid I do not know what you mean, Hayato," Mitsukuni said, cartwheeling back to avoid the Oni commander's strike._

_He did not know that I was the one who just saved his life. He was not even aware that I had materialised or that I was the shadows that the Oni commander referred to._

"_Our Superiors smile upon the descendants of the greatest Oni family of all time," Hayato spat, striking with the same speed that matched Mitsukuni's frightfully fast swipes and stabs. Which each clang, the ground seemingly shook and the air vibrated._

_These men were more than human._

"_It is about time the Minamoto line ended!" Hayato bellowed, slashing down. _

_Mitsukuni parried the strike which sent him skidding back through the undergrowth to crash back into a tree. The collision force was strong enough to crack the trunk in half. I flinched automatically. Such a force should have shattered his insides._

_Yet he ducked beneath Hayato's stab and stepped with ease around his opponent. Terrible anger flashed in Mitsukuni's eyes as he lashed out at Hayato, attacking faster and harder until he was a blur, leaving behind second images of himself from his demonic speed. Hayato matched him._

_I hovered behind Mitsukuni, praying that he would win. The fight swung in neither favour, until Hayato's red eyes flickered behind Mitsukuni's shoulders and looked directly at me. Shock flashed through them once again, and Mitsukuni took his chance, not leaving me any time to work out how Hayato managed to see me when I was just an awareness._

_Mitsukuni twisted Hayato's katana from his grip, sending it flying overhead. Hayato could only stare, and Mitsukuni's hand stabbed through his head. There was a sickening crunch as Mitsukuni's hand completely penetrated Hayato's skull and came out the other side, his fingers slick and red as if he wore a deep crimson glove. Goriness exploded from the back of the head to splatter across the nearby trees and undergrowth._

_Blood and the flesh of the brain dripped from Mitsukuni's fingertips._

_Silence split the air._

"_This is what you get for trying to kill my son," Mitsukuni whispered. He pulled his hand from Hayato's mangled head, and the body collapsed to the ground._

_The fearsome Oni had been defeated by his equal._

_Mitsukuni swiped his bloodied hand down. "Any enemy of Jubei will be destroyed, whether it is by my hand, his, or another's. I will not let you harm my son. The Heir of the Oni will ascend."_

_I absorbed his words in silence. Heir of the Oni?_

_This was a dream. Mitsuhide was human . . . right?_

_Although Oni and Tengu and such were like any other legend of demons or angels in another culture, there was never any proof that such beings existed. If the Akechi clan were rumoured to be Oni, then would that rumour not be mentioned in history as some form of gossip?_

_I retreated. Mitsukuni stood alone, towering over Hayato. The Akechi head was bloodied in the moonlight, red eyes glowing eerily in the darkness._

_Despite the stab of fear, there was also marvel in the deadly beauty._

_The dream began to alter, jumping forward ten years. It was in the same place, the same kind of night, except I was in it, not just watching. I stood back to back with Mitsuhide, who was ten now, unlike the new-born he was in the dream just gone._

_We were surrounded by eight men. And they intended to kill us. Their weapons were drawn, while Mitsuhide and I only had a dagger each. It took everything in my power to keep my terror of the situation from controlling me._

_How could I possibly fight eight men? I was not skilled enough, and Mitsuhide was still a child. Together, we barely made one skilled samurai._

"_What do you want with us?" Mitsuhide demanded._

_The men did not sway, and one of them, the leader, answered. "We are here to finish our master's work, ten years in the waiting. The Hayato clan will fulfil our mission."_

_I tensed, recalling the scene of when Mitsukuni killed the Oni called Hayato. Was it real after all?_

_They attacked, and I sucked in a startled breath, countering the first attack that came my way. They were fast!_

"_Get away, Aki-senpai! They are too strong for you!"_

_Another attacked and I cartwheeled back, managing to miss the full swipe of the blade, but not enough as it cut across my shoulder. Before I had gained a good enough footing, a kick came at my torso, sending me tumbling back until I managed to turn that roll into a staggered step up and back. I struggled to breath from the force of the kick. It felt like some of my ribs were smashed in that one kick._

"_They are after you, Mitsuhide-sama!" I shouted, skipping away from speedy swipes that tried to decapitate me. "Akechi-sama killed their leader ten years ago because they tried to kill you when you were born!"_

_Mitsuhide's movements jerked, as did the others, at my words. He took that opportunity to stab a man in the heart with a clean strike. The shock was evident on his face as the blade took the man's life._

_It was the first time he had killed._

_My senses detected something behind me, but too late I reacted as a line of searing pain ripped down my back. I bit back a cry and stumbled forward, turning and throwing a shuriken behind me. It was pinged out of the way by the speaker's katana._

"_How do you know that?" The man hissed. "No one was there to witness it!"_

_A new fear pounded in my heart from his reaction to my statement. Were they Oni then? But I was human! I could not fight these beings! Did Mitsuhide know that? Was that why he told me to get away, when I was far his senior in age and he was just a child?_

_My eyes snapped to him. He was not fighting as a human. His attacks were as fast as lightning, like his father, and each stroke of his dagger drew blood. The expression on his face was not that of a little boy._

_My attacker swung again and I let my left foot slip forward, dropping me beneath his blade and I struck out, cracking his patellae and he staggered back. It gave me an opportunity to skip back further, until chains wrapped about my ankles and landed me on the ground._

_Another attacker leapt in the air, ninjato drawn back and the blade glinted in the moonlight. Dismay and despair flitted through me._

I'm going to die now?!

_The blade descended, my jaw clenched and my heart screamed._

_A small figure darted in front of me and slashed the attacker to the side. I blinked._

"_Don't touch Aki-senpai," he snarled. His eyes glowed red with slit-like-pupils, horns sprouted from the sides of his head, yet his hair had turned silver like moonlight._

_I stared at him. "Mitsuhide-sama?"_

_The leader of the group tsked under his breath. "Indeed he is the Heir of the Oni. He must die." He stood back up and I watched in disbelief. I thought I shattered both his patellae?_

_Mitsuhide tensed, I swept myself back to my feet. Except, they all attacked Mitsuhide at once, while one held me back. Mitsuhide was losing._

_Desperation overwhelmed me and I did something stupid. I mimicked a part of Mitsukuni's fighting in the previous dream, spinning with speed and my attacker's strikes missed me to my amazement. They could have so easily stabbed me in the back, yet my mimic was lucky._

"_What?" He exclaimed. I used his surprise against him, and drove my dagger through his temple. He cried out, and fell._

_Despite the roaring pain of the slash down my back and being half blind from the blood that ran into my eyes from my head from another injury, I shoved the dead attacker out of my way and staggered forward._

"_What do I do? What do I do?" I gasped, struggling to keep my tears at bay. I was supposed to protect Mitsuhide, and yet right now, I was doing anything but that._

_I brought my shuriken to my fingertips and threw them at his attackers in a vain attempt to draw their attention from him. One of them looked my way, and Mitsuhide cut him down._

_Three dead._

_But that was his mistake. I could only watch in horror as the remaining blades pounced on him, too quick and too numerous to dodge and parry them all._

"_Mitsuhide-sama!"_

I jolted myself awake, sitting up and breathing deeply. The light was dim with early morning. The tatami room surrounded me, and the two other maids that I shared this room with woke with a start.

"Is everything alright, Osamu-san?" One of them asked sleepily.

Since March, Mitsukuni had told everyone else to start calling me Osamu, to get into the habit of using my official name. I was still Aki, but Osamu was now the name that most people used.

I exhaled deeply, placing a hand over my face. "Just a dream."

One of the older maids chuckled. It sounded more like a cough. "I used to dream quite often when I was younger. Now I have hardly any."

I snorted softly. "That is both lucky and unlucky." I felt cold though, from that dream. It was as if it showed me the past and the future.

The future . . .

My skin turned cold. I knew full well that Yokai and Kitsunes and the lot existed. But was it also possible that the Akechi clan themselves were Oni?

I recalled Mitsukuni and Mitsuhide in my dream. They were both Oni. The way they moved was not human. And that presence that Mitsukuni possessed . . .

"Are you feeling well, Osamu-san," the older maid asked. "You look pale. Was it a nightmare?"

I pulled my attention back and smiled at her weakly. "I'm fine. Probably just need some food, that's all. Besides, my nightmares are far more frightening than the dream I just had."

The younger maid crawled from her futon to the screen and opened it a peak. "Seeing as it is already light, we may as well get up," she yawned.

The older maid grunted as she stood. "Back to work," she sighed.

I too, got up and changed, had something to eat, and was then back to training with Makoto. Yet I could not focus. The dream kept playing over and over in my head, leaving a feeling of stirring dread within my stomach.

"We will leave it there," Makoto said after tapping his bamboo katana to the top of my mask.

I looked up at him, panting from exertion. "Makoto-sensei?"

He took his mask off. "Your mind is not here. You cannot focus. Come back to me once you have fixed this issue, otherwise I will not teach you. I will not teach someone whose heart and mind is not in their practice."

My shoulders sank and I bowed in apology. Indeed, he was right.

It was a few days before I built up the courage and found Mitsukuni out in the stables, joking with the stable boys and patting his horse's neck. Ruka was his mare's name.

"Ah, Aki!" He exclaimed upon seeing me. "Ruka appears to be pregnant."

I smiled in response to his jolliness at the good news. She was a beautiful horse, with a sleek grey coat and black mane and tail.

"Her offspring will be as fine as she," I replied.

"Indeed!" He agreed heartily, stroking her strong neck. "Should you not be training with Makoto?"

I looked down meekly. "Makoto-sensei refuses to teach me until I have got my act together."

Mitsukuni peered at me over Ruka's back. His eyes then flickered to the stable boys. "Make sure she's warm during the night and take her for some exercise every day. Keep her well fed," he instructed them.

"Yes, Akechi-sama!"

He nodded, and then waved me to him. "Walk with me, Aki."

I fell into step behind him and he walked us around the back of the mansion and into the hills behind. The sloped ground was damp from the rain of the previous night. Trees were towering and thick with leaves that would soon begin to turn magnificent fiery colours with the onset of autumn. Birds sang beautifully, branches swayed and leaves and undergrowth rustled with the scurrying of small creatures within its cover. The air was fresh and clean.

This peace, this serenity – unpolluted by technology – was one thing I did not want to lose, despite my desire to return home still.

"You look troubled, Aki," Mitsukuni said, softening his voice to match the gentleness of the nature around us. "You have been like that for a couple of days. You may think that no one notices, but some of us can see behind your mask."

My eyes narrowed at his back, before glancing away at a bell flower that grew behind the trunk of another maple.

Bell flowers were the flower of the Akechi.

_He can see behind my mask, huh? _I thought silently. _So can Mitsuhide, even though that boy is so young still._

"What plagues your thoughts?"

I paused where I was and closed my eyes briefly, thinking of the dream. It was a dream of Oni and time, of battle, death and blood. Of strange prophecy and titles.

Mitsuhide and his white hair and glowing red eyes flashed into my head, followed by the moment he was nearly killed. Mitsukuni's terrifying fight flashed before my eyes.

"Akechi-sama," I said quietly, looking at him directly in the eyes. It was something that I should not dare to do to a Lord. But I did it nonetheless. He would not be able to escape my question.

"Who are the Hayato clan?"

* * *

**A/N: And those are my next 2 chapters! This update is thanks to Ryujin Mei, whose writing has inspired me to get my act together and push on with this fanfic. If any of you have yet to check out her work, then do so! They are wonderfully fun and exciting to read :D And thanks for those who are following my fic =) I wasn't really expecting any followers, especially as Mitsuhide is still a little kid in this fanfic atm and most people seem to be interested in romance and harems straight from the beginning. But please stick with it T_T It will get better if you find it boring right now. I like to build up the relationships in my work over time. Hopefully it has the right effect on those of you who read it ^_^;  
**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Mitsukuni was handed the parchment which already contained three signatures: Mitsuyasu's, Mitsuhisa's and Aki's. He signed his part and then handed it back to his brothers. Mitsuhisa grinned as Mitsuyasu took the parchment.

"Congratulations," he said merrily to Aki. "You are now the adopted daughter of our clan head, Mitsukuni. From now on, you are a full-fledged member of the Akechi clan. You will be known hence forth as Akechi Osamu."

Mitsukuni glanced down at Aki. She was unable to hide her smile of joy which she struggled to keep under control. He clapped her on the back.

"Don't hold back that smile, my _daughter_, Osamu," he exclaimed. "This is a joyous day for us all."

Her controlled smile grew wider as she let some of her control go. She bowed low. "Thank you very much for this greatest honour, Mitsukuni-sama, Mitsuyasu-sama and Mitsuhisa-sama. I shall strive to bring pride and honour to the Akechi clan."

Mitsuhisa laughed. "And I do not doubt you, our _niece_. You have already earned a good reputation in this manor and town since you arrived over a year ago."

Indeed, Aki had earned herself quite the reputation, even though she was not aware of it, judging from what Mitsukuni had observed. Everyone seemed to like her. And the incident where she stepped in to save that girl called Chiyo, had earned her a good name. She played with the children, she gossiped with the women, and discussed seriously to the men.

Aki was certainly a fascinating young woman, able to switch roles depending on the situation she was in. What was even more entertaining was that no one was truly able to tell what sex she was. Sometimes she was a man, other times she was a woman. The men in particular joked with her about it, the women dreamed, and the children could not care less.

"Jubei may be obliged to call you _Nee-san_ now," Mitsukuni chuckled. "Considering you are now his older sister."

Aki's eyes widened slightly, before she laughed softly once. She shook her head. "Aki-senpai is good enough."

Mitsuyasu grunted. "Let me just remind you that even though you are now one of us, and by law, the oldest child of the Akechi, we will not announce you as a successor to this clan."

Aki nodded, serious again. "Yes, Mitsuyasu-sama. I have no intention of even suggesting such a thing. I have no interest that kind of position."

Mitsuyasu just grunted again and Mitsukuni snorted. "Aki has already agreed to those terms before we signed the documents. Jubei will still be the next clan leader after me."

From the corner of his eye, he noticed Aki stiffen ever so slightly. A part of him darkened. He kept his bright smile though.

"You should go and find the others, Aki, and tell them of this good news. We will drink to our hearts' content tonight in celebration!" He exclaimed.

Aki smiled awkwardly and bowed again in thanks, before shuffling back through a screen, closing it, and then the three brothers waited until her footsteps had faded from their keen hearing. The smile on Mitsukuni's and Mitsuhisa's lips faded with her footsteps.

"She knows of the Hayato . . .?" Mitsuhisa murmured.

Mitsukuni frowned at the tatami matting in front of him, thinking over what happened a few days ago. He had never felt as shocked as he did back then when Aki had asked him that question.

"_Who are the Hayato clan?"_

Being who he was, he was able to hide his shock, though he was not sure if Aki could still see behind his carefully controlled mask. He feigned ignorance, and had her tell him why she asked. And so she told him of her dream.

"Your suggestion that she may be a Seer could perhaps be true after all," Mitsuyasu said.

Mitsukuni's frown deepened.

"How though?" Mitsuhisa asked. "She has no Oni blood within her. Aki is most definitely a human."

"Yet what Aki described to me is exactly what occurred ten years ago," Mitsukuni said. "It was as if she was actually there, but she did not come to us until last year." He paused in silence, thinking of the leader of the Hayato clan. It had puzzled him to no end as to how Hayato missed his shot, or why the Pureblood looked past Mitsukuni's shoulder at the shadows behind him.

"_Even the shadows are sided with the Akechi?"_

Was that what Hayato meant? Had he been referring to Aki all along?

"It appears that she is no ordinary human," Mitsuyasu said, his voice deep. "We must watch her closely – the woman from another time."

* * *

I was in such a good mood for the rest of the day, having spent a large part of it with Lady Akechi, Yuko and other people of the manor. Lady Akechi was pleased, for she now had a daughter. It was dismaying for me, for nothing could ever replace my real family. But the Akechi were now becoming my family. And I was growing to love them all as such.

That evening, unfortunately, I was dragged along to drink with the Lords and some other men and women. The woman served the drinks, while I had to drink, and I was incredibly glad that I was dressed as a man for that evening.

I was poured another small cup of sake and then downed it, gasping after I swallowed and fanned my face. The men roared with laughter.

"How cruel our Akechi Lords are, to make a pretty boy drink so much!"

Mitsuhisa grasped my shoulder. "I'm impressed, Osamu! You drink far better than I expected."

I pulled a fowl face. Alcoholism was definitely not my thing. I did not drink alcohol much, compared to what the culture was in the UK anyway. If I did drink alcohol, then I drank rose wine, Bailey's, or Mao Tai. Mao Tai was very similar to sake in my opinion, though I was sure that others would beg to differ.

Unfortunately, I could not get up and leave, or simply stop drinking, for that would be considered rude. Therefore I had to bear with it, aware that later on, I was going to have a rough night and a painful morning. I reached the happy stage of drunkenness quite quickly, meaning that almost anything had me in stitches of laughter and soon enough, I had completely forgotten about the depressing knowledge of Mitsukuni's approaching death and my unanswered questions about the Hayato clan.

* * *

The next morning, Mitsuhide walked along the veranda around the back of the manor. His face was expressionless while he thought about yesterday's events. Aki was now a member of the Akechi family – Akechi Osamu.

Despite the thrilling events, he did not smile, nor was he too happy.

Aki was liked by all, with impressive combat abilities already, the height of a man, the grace of a dancer and with an authority that earned respect and could well make her a worthy leader. She was now his father's adopted daughter, making her Mitsuhide's senior, a Nee-san.

The eldest was usually the heir.

Mitsuhide walked around the next corner, keeping his hands tucked within the sleeves of his haori. September was warm, but early mornings always had a slight bite to them. He stopped when his gaze landed on the figure in front of him.

Aki, still in her night gown, was slumped against one of the wooden pillars. Her eyes were shut with dark rings beneath them, her skin was a sickly pale colour and her long hair was a catastrophic mess. Mitsuhide's eyes widened in both concern and amusement. Her appearance now was a vast contrast to when his mother dressed her as a proper court-lady of noble birth. Just thinking about that made his cheeks burn.

_She was pretty._

He shook the image from his mind, pushing away the embarrassment that came along with thinking of that. Mitsuhide was not sure why he felt embarrassed.

"Aki-senpai," he said, walking over to her.

She cracked open an eye. "Gwaaa . . ." It took a while for that eye to register, and when it did, the other also opened slightly.

"Mitsuhide-sama," she croaked. He just looked at her. She stank of alcohol and she brought a hand up to her forehead. Her movements were clumsy and she ended up slapping herself in the face instead.

"So this is what a hang . . . over feels . . . like," she mumbled. Aki managed to jab a finger at him. "Don't let your . . . father and uncles . . . take me out drinking again."

Mitsuhide smirked slightly. She was drunk when she came back last night. Now, it looked like she was sane again, but in obvious discomfort. She suddenly clamped her hands to her mouth and her shoulders heaved. Mitsuhide recoiled slightly, but he needn't. Nothing came out and her body relaxed again with a deep breath. She groaned.

"Aki-senpai," Mitsuhide said, his slight smirk fading. "Do you intend on taking my position as the next head of the Akechi clan?"

Such a feat would be impossible even if she tried. Because she was human.

Aki glanced up at him and narrowed her eyes. "What? No of course not . . . That's stupid," she said, running a hand down her face, more focused on her pounding head than on Mitsuhide's question. "I don't want any leadership position. Too much . . . responsibility. What I . . . want . . . is to go home . . .Ack, I swear to God, I am never . . . drinking again!"

Mitsuhide's shoulders sank with guilt. Aki was difficult to read, but Mitsuhide could always read her one way or the other. And right now, she was being sincere, despite her bad mood.

"Do you mean that, Aki-senpai? Do you promise never to look for a position of power?"

"Hah? An accusation?" Her voice was suddenly loud with a hint of anger. "No one ever used to ask me to make promises before, and now everyone is suddenly wanting one from me!" She growled, trying to sit up straighter, using the pillar as her support. "First Mitsukuni-sama and now you, tch."

"Aki-senpai."

"Yes, yes, I promise," she sighed in exasperation. "Now please leave me in peace," she almost whimpered, slumping back down again with a green face rather than pale.

Mitsuhide stayed a moment longer, before he then sighed softly, and walked past his suffering teacher, hearing her heave again, except this time something came out with it. The young boy cringed in disgust and hurried away, hoping that such a thing would never happen to him. But he would grow into a man, and every man drank, therefore he would end up like his father and uncles – drinking for pleasure, laughing and joking, getting caught up in unsightly fights, vomiting, and resulting in a similar state to Aki.

However, as he walked away, he thought about his sudden demand. The sudden worry, doubt and jealousy he had felt upon Aki's adoption into the Akechi clan, as Mitsukuni's child, was undeniable. Perhaps he rushed to the wrong conclusion too quickly? He already knew that Aki was someone who was not interested in power or leadership.

He could deny the happy feeling within him now that Aki was definitely a part of his clan. But what she had said just earlier sent a stab of hurt through him.

She wanted to go home.

His expression fell slightly. _I don't want Aki-senpai to go_, he thought quietly.

* * *

Another week had passed. Even though everything had been so pleasant and joyous so far because of my adoption, I could not bury the growing unease within my blood. It was the last week of September, and Mitsukuni was still alive.

With all my heart I prayed that somehow the historical events would change. Maybe Mitsukuni would die later? Maybe he would live on for another thirty years or so?

I gazed up at the starry night sky, leaning against one of the pillars on the veranda. I had yet to change out of my day's clothing, dressed as a man.

Softly, I exhaled. It had taken me a while to realise that the feelings in my heart and gut, no matter how faint, were always the truth-tellers. It was a harsh realisation. Most people would never realise it for as long as they lived, and that was probably better, because then they would not be burdened by this extra feeling which I could do nothing about.

How was I going to be able to stop Mitsukuni's impending death? Or rather, how could anyone possibly defeat someone with such fast and frightening reactions and combat abilities?

I shivered. Hayato had abilities that rivalled Mitsukuni. The only reason why Hayato lost was because he was distracted by me.

With a depressed sigh, I cast a glance up at the waxing moon. A wispy cloud flitted past it.

_How nostalgic . . . _I though absentmindedly. I began to turn away when something caught my eye. Looking back into the darkness of the garden, I spotted a small figure moving silently with the shadows. With a frown, I narrowed my eyes and peered closer.

I made a small surprised sound when I realised it was Mitsuhide.

_Where is he going?_

Worry quickly replaced the surprise when I realised he was moving towards the back of the garden, swallowed by the shadows. I grabbed my sandals, tucked my feet into them, leapt off the side of the veranda and hurried into the shadows of the garden.

"Mitsuhide-sama?" I called quietly, glancing about me to see where he went.

A soft footfall caught my attention and I looked up towards the far wall. Mitsuhide's silent shadow swept through the high branches of the trees, jumping over the wall nearby.

My chest tightened in dread. Where was he going?

Frantically I looked about at the lowest branches of the trees, found one and swung myself up into the tree, climbing nimbly up through the wooden veins and arteries of the trees. I ran along the branch that Mitsuhide used and jumped, letting the wind sigh by me as I leapt over the wall, and down the other side.

I landed with a soft grunt, before I picked myself up and dashed into the night. Mitsuhide, a ten year old boy, should not be out beyond the wall at all at this time of night. My doubts as to his true identity began to rise.

Oni were like vampires, if I compared the legends and myths correctly across the culture differences. They had inhuman strength and abilities, with glowing red eyes, lengthened canines, and drank the blood of other living creatures. They would go out at night to hunt.

Was that what Mitsuhide was doing? No child would even think of going out alone at this time of night. But if he was an Oni, like in the dream, then it would be alright.

I shook my head vigorously. _No. That can't be true!_

Because if it was, then that meant that my dreams were also true. Even though Mitsukuni honestly sounded like he knew nothing about my dream, aside from sounding fascinated by it, I could not shake off the feeling in my heart.

What I saw was the past, and then second dream was the future.

I ran around the towering trees, letting my feet step lightly over the tangle of massive roots that were sprawled over the grassy ground. Moonlight seeped in through the gaps of the foliage above, like twinkling, translucent curtains of silver.

_Like Mitsuhide's hair._

Up ahead, I spotted him walking on. I clenched my jaw. "Mitsuhide-sama!"

He did not turn around, as if he did not hear me. The boy did not even physically respond to my call and concerned dread pumped blood faster through my vessels. I picked up my pace, rushing up to him. Yet he moved surprisingly fast. Even though he was walking, his movement of speed was almost as if he was flying.

I reached out and grabbed his shoulder, spinning him around to face me. "Mitsuhide-sama!" I panted.

His face was expressionless and he swayed slightly. My other hand grabbed his other shoulder and I went down on one knee, forcing him to look me in the eye.

"Mitsuhide-sama," I repeated again. "What's wrong with you? You look like you're sleep walking!"

He blinked, his eyes met mine. "Aki-senpai," he breathed. "There is someone calling me. It's pulling me towards it."

I breathed sharply. "Who is calling you?" I could not hear anything.

Then again . . . I was only human.

I froze at that thought. The faint breeze whispered, the trees barely swished, wispy clouds flitted past the waxing moon.

Nostalgia. This night was the same one ten years ago.

"What is it, Aki-senpai?" Mitsuhide asked, the tone of his voice changed completely.

_Impossible_, I thought with terrible remembrance. _It's tonight?_

The dream replayed again and I reacted to the killing intent before I detected it. With a sharp breath, I yanked Mitsuhide behind me, drawing my dagger simultaneously and swung it diagonally up. Blade met another blade with a sharp ping, and the deflected throwing knife imbedded itself in the trunk of a tree.

I heard Mitsuhide gasp behind me. "How? How did you react faster than me?"

My grip tightened around the dagger in my hand, and eight figures emerged from the shadows.

"I second that question," one of the figures said. The moonlight fell on his face and it felt like I had been punched in the stomach.

He was the same man in my dream – the new leader to carry out Hayato's last wish. Ice coated my skin.

Slowly, I rose to my feet. I felt Mitsuhide's back press close to mine. Back to back. We were surrounded.

"What do you want with us?" Mitsuhide demanded. The ice cracked.

None of them swayed or responded to his demand. They were emotionless, surrounded in a twisted aura that was demonic.

The leader however, answered. "We are here to finish our master's work, ten years in the waiting. The Hayato clan will fulfil our mission."

I tensed, my eyes wide, unable to believe what I was seeing and hearing. This was the first time my dream had been accurate to the very last detail.

The dream played out in my head half a second faster than what happened in real life. They all attacked at once and I sucked in a startled breath. I saw the phantom shadow of the first attack, followed by the real one that came my way. My body moved with a mind of its own, following what I had already seen from the dream and using it to my advantage.

Stepping forward, I used the back of my hand to push the oncoming strike out of the way and swung my dagger up, cutting across the attacker's shoulder. The attacker grunted with surprise, echoing my own surprise at how I moved because for the moment, I moved as fast as they did. Consciously I could not keep up with their speed. That was something I knew already from the dream.

The dream . . .

The horror in my heart gradually built. The dream was real after all.

* * *

**A/N: Ohhh the suspense! Please do review if you can. I'm getting a lot of views but no reviews! Writers thrive on them you know T_T They're our encouragement. Ah well, even if you don't review it's fine cuz I'll still write this fanfic. My updates will be slow though if I don't get many reviews *sniffs* Nevermind though. Next chapter will be up in a few more hours (if any of you are interested enough to carry on reading).**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

The realisation of what that meant, hit hard. The dream was real. Everything I had seen was real. The past had happened, and the future was about to happen.

My quick counter was countered and I was thrown overhead, only to somehow flip and land on my feet with a stumble. More attacked and a jolt of fear zapped through me. They were fast!

"Get away, Aki-senpai! They are too strong for you!"

I cartwheeled back, missing the full swipe of the closest blade, but I was not fast enough as the tip of it seared across my shoulder. My eyes widened at the pain, as well as what was going to come next. Staggering back, I turned that stagger into a backwards roll, missing the foot that was supposed to have kicked me in the stomach. I threw a shuriken at the one who should have kicked me. He seemingly vanished and reappeared again a foot from where he stood, letting the shuriken whistle past his face to imbed itself into the trunk of a tree.

"They are after you, Mitsuhide-sama!" I shouted, skipping away from speedy swipes that tried to decapitate me. "Akechi-sama killed their leader ten years ago because they tried to kill you when you were born!"

Mitsuhide's movements jerked, as did the others, at my words. He took that opportunity to stab a man in the heart with a clean strike. The shock was evident on his face as the blade took the man's life.

It was the first time he had killed.

_I can't believe this,_ I thought in dismay. _It is exactly the same as my dream. This is really happening._

In the dream, someone attacked me from behind and I was too late to react. This time, I knew what was coming. Spinning around, I raised my dagger. Blade met blade with another sharp clang, combining with one of the many clashes Mitsuhide was having with his opponents.

I found myself face to face with the leader of the group. He wore an expression of controlled anger.

"How do you know that?" He hissed. "There was no one there to witness it!"

My fears were confirmed and I felt the blood drain from my face. They were all Oni.

I jumped back and my eyes flashed to Mitsuhide. If Mitsukuni was an Oni, then that surely meant that so was Mitsuhide. If the dream was correct, then Mitsuhide, like the rest of the Akechi family by blood, were demons.

Mitsuhide was not fighting as a human. His attacks were as fast as lightning, like his father, and each stroke of his dagger drew blood. The expression on his face was not that of a little boy.

He was slashed across the face and automatically, I jerked as if it had been me who had been cut. Yet to my shock and grim realisation, I watched how that cut healed over within a matter of seconds.

_Demon . . ._ my heart whispered silently.

The leader swung again and I let my foot slip forward, dropping me beneath his swing and I struck out against his knees, feeling the crunch as his patellae were shattered beneath my knuckles. He grunted and I spun, kicking him in the face and he fell.

Quickly, I scrambled back up onto my feet and away, jumping to avoid the chains – which in the dream caught me and landed me on the ground – that clinked beneath me as they were thrown. They caught around the small trunk of a tree behind me and I landed atop the chains, giving me the chance to run up them to the owner. There was no time to think about balance at all. I did gymnastics in the past, but nowhere near enough to get to the level of being able to walk on ropes at the lot.

I ground my teeth in desperation, bringing my dagger arm back.

Something hard slammed into me. There was a blur as the scenery rushed past my eyes, a stunned gasp, before I collided with what I could only describe as a concrete wall. There was a great crack, white light of shock flashed before my eyes, pain exploded throughout my body and the breath whooshed from my lungs.

I could not utter a sound as my lungs froze and my mind stopped working. I fell forward and whoever had crashed into me, grabbed my head and smashed it into the towering trunk of the tree behind me, again – it was not a concrete wall.

Dizzying agony ripped through my skull and for a moment, I blacked out. My dagger slipped from my fingers and the attacker cracked my head into the tree for a third time, before he let go of me. I slumped down against the tree, collapsing completely.

"You fight like one of us," the attacker said, almost appraisingly. "Your speed and reactions are as fast as ours . . . or is it because you have seen it all before?"

I could barely hear him. All sound was so muffled in my ears. My world spun sickeningly and with that crushing dizziness and agony, came overwhelming tiredness. I struggled to keep my eyes open, blinking slowly; I could barely see as white stars dotted my vision.

_Get up . . ._

From the corners of my narrowed vision, Mitsuhide was being backed against a fence of trees. Looming above me, the leader stood. Vaguely, I was aware of how surprised I was that his patellae healed that quickly. Vaguely, I sighed with weakness. The dream had gone astray.

"It is a pity, that I must take your life," he said with faint sadness and raised his katana. "All those allied with the Heir of the Oni must die, including the rare Seers."

There it came again, the same title – Heir of the Oni.

_Get up . . . get up!_

The moonlight reflected against his katana, the blade that would take my life. Faintly, I knew that I should have been afraid, yet I was not.

_What if . . . what if the only way to return home is to die?_ My mind wondered silently as I gazed up at the katana with half closed eyes, feeling my blood pulse through my skull like drumbeat.

_If I die . . . then can I go home?_

I had already been here for over a year. While I managed to keep my longing for home buried within the darkness of my heart, it was always there, always silently searching for a way to go back. Wearing my modern clothes and re-acting how I was brought to this world, did not achieve anything.

No matter how welcome I was made to feel, I did not belong here in this time.

The katana bit down.

But it did not stab.

A small figure appeared before me. His hair had been cut lose from its band and hung down his back. Instead of black, it was shimmering white like starlight. Horns protruded from the corners of his head, his skin glowed like moonlight and his clawed fingers swung his dagger up.

That swing shattered the leader's sword upon impact, causing the leader's descending arm to swing back with a startled grunt. The boy's hands flashed out and his palms struck the leader's chest, sending him skidding back into two of his followers.

"What the –!" He grunted.

"Don't touch Aki-senpai!" Mitsuhide snarled.

I blinked slowly, struggling to raise my head. My tired expression distorted into one of pain as the throbbing of my body and skull intensified with the movement. My vision swam nauseatingly. Something warm was trickling down my face and the back of my neck.

_Ah . . . my blood . . ._

The leader regained his footing, analysing the hilt of his shattered katana. Half of me was horrified that Mitsuhide had been able to break a steel sword. Japanese swords were renowned worldwide for being the best made in the world. Yet, such a young boy destroyed the blade with one swing of his dagger.

"Indeed, you are the Heir of the Oni," the leader announced darkly, throwing his broken katana away and his appearance changed. His eyes glowed red, the pupils narrowed to slits, horns sprouted from his head and his fingers elongated into claws. "That appearance, that aura, is that of the Heir."

The others around him also changed their appearances, going from human, to Oni. The strength of their auras permeated the air. Their ancient power glowed in their eyes.

Mitsuhide tensed and he cast a glance back at me. His eyes glowed like theirs.

Faint despair flitted through me. Indeed, he was one of them. He had an aura that was above even these terrifying Oni that sought to kill him.

My dream did not lie after all. These creatures did exist. And the Akechi family were a family of Oni.

_Descendants of the greatest clan of all time – the Minamoto . . . Were they Oni too then . . .?_

The feeling of hopelessness twisted my insides as I felt their killing intent spark as one combined force. Were we going to die?

I struggled to push myself up onto my hands and knees, breathing deeply. I could barely see as my world continued to spin. It was fine if I died. But I could not let them kill Mitsuhide. I made a promise to Mitsukuni.

Protect Mitsuhide!

My conscious began to slip away again and I screamed internally to keep my eyes open. However, my body could not obey my mind.

The attackers lunged, three in front, followed by one more, and then the other three behind that one. Mitsuhide flipped his dagger and I sucked in a broken breath.

Mitsuhide brought his dagger hand back, when a different black shadow flashed before him with immense speed. The shadow's clawed hand smashed through the skull of the closest Oni, before drawing it back and letting the body fall. His foot met the torso of the second and even through my muffled hearing of waning consciousness, I heard the crunch of shattering ribs and the gasp as the heart was stilled by the violent impact. A katana sang as it was drawn, and pierced the heart of the third Oni.

Three Oni had been killed within a matter of seconds.

The remaining four leapt back warily as another terrifying aura joined the scene. I sat myself back against the tree, limp, and raised my bleeding head to blink in exhaustion. Blood trickled down the side of my face like tears – tears which were beginning to fill my already blurred eyes.

Mitsuhide gasped. I already knew what he would say.

"Chichi-ue!"

Mitsukuni held a katana in his clawed hand, standing in front of Mitsuhide and I.

"Once again, you people try to kill my son," Mitsukuni said, his voice was like a sigh of the wind. "Except this time, you also try to kill my daughter."

"Akechi Mitsukuni," the leader said back tonelessly. "How incredible it is that the Akechi clan house the next Emperor of our race and a human Seer."

I could barely stay focused. Prince? Seer? What were they talking about?

Memories swam in the darkness of my mind, taking me back to when I was first brought into this world. The words of the snake yokai whispered in my ears.

"Save . . . the Oni prince and . . . guide him . . .," I echoed, barely audibly, hanging my head, staring at my lap through half closed eyes. My fingers twitched beside my legs.

A fragment of the reason why I was brought here, fitted into the jigsaw. There was a link. Heir of the Oni. The Oni prince. Save and guide him.

Mitsuhide?

More figures emerged from the shadows of the trees and I felt my heart sink further. There were too many enemies. At least twenty of them surrounded us. Their crushing auras weighed heavily down on my shoulders. I could not get up.

"Jubei," Mitsukuni murmured softly. "Protect Aki. I will fight them."

"But Chichi-ue! There are too many!" Mitsuhide argued back with a hiss.

Mitsukuni looked back at him and smiled faintly. "Will you leave her to die?"

Mitsuhide winced, looking devastated as he saw the choice between him. I raised my eyes to Mitsukuni and felt the tears build within my gaze. Even if he was a powerful Oni, like the frightening one I saw in my dream, could he fight off twenty Oni and protect two people at the same time?

Akechi Mitsukuni was said to have died sometime in September 1538.

He met my gaze.

_He is going to die . . ._ I realised in despair.

Mitsukuni's gaze lingered. I knew that he knew what had crossed my mind. Yet, he smiled at me with acceptance.

In that instance, I realised that he knew everything. And he was not afraid of it.

That smile broke something within me. The man who I had come to look on as a father, was destined to die this very night.

The tears spilled down my cheeks. "No . . ." I croaked.

The other Oni and Mitsuhide looked between us, trying to understand what silent understanding had passed between us.

_: It's alright, Aki_, his mental voice said gently.

Just as I had an almost psychic link with my real father, the same thing was happening with my adoptive father.

It is said that some lives transcend across time and space. Perhaps . . . there was some truth to that ancient statement.

Everything happened at once. Twelve lunged at Mitsukuni. Eight attacked Mitsuhide and I head on. A shuriken whistled for my head until Mitsuhide caught it between his fingers and threw it back. The Oni who threw it pinged it out of the way and another Oni beside him attacked Mitsuhide first.

An incredible battle ensued around me, one which I would have marvelled over, had circumstances been different.

Still I struggled to clear the sickening dizziness from my head and dull the pain within my body with my will. I was the only human here, so fragile and already injured to the extent that I could barely stand. Pain roared through my skull. I did not even have the strength to pull my hand round to the back of my head to feel the damage done to my cranium.

Humans were so weak.

A small thread of anger sparked. Why did I have to be so weak, so fragile? I had to get up, get up and stop being a burden!

The Oni moved so fast they were a blur, leaving behind a breath of the wind with the speed of their passage. Blades clashed against each other, kicking up sparks upon meeting. Clothing was ripped, skin was slashed, blood was drawn. The air stank of its thick metallic aroma.

Mitsuhide and Mitsukuni fought in desperation, cutting their enemies down as they too, were slashed and cut.

I sucked in a breath and bit my trembling lip. I did not want Mitsukuni to die. I did not want him to die.

With colossal effort, I tried to stand. Agony split my skull from the movement and I bit back a cry of pain as my balance betrayed me. On my knees and hand, I brought my other to my pounding head. Stickiness coated my hand and I brought it to my face.

Indeed my head was bleeding badly, matting my hair. The smell was nauseating.

Somewhere not too far, Mitsuhide threw his dagger, decapitating two Oni, and his dagger stabbed into another tree. I could barely react as an Oni ran his clawed hand down his back, causing him to cry out and stagger forward.

Horror exploded in my body and for a brief moment, my focus clarified. Grabbing my dagger, I threw it, spinning past Mitsuhide's head and plunged into the Oni's eye, earning a scream of pain as he brought his hands up to his face, halting his attack against Mitsuhide.

Mitsuhide turned around immediately, pulling my dagger free and decapitating that screaming Oni. His head flew, landing with a heavy thump upon the grass, followed by the rest of the body. Its blood gurgled noisily from the stump.

The boy cast a glance behind him at me, wearing an unreadable expression, before he threw my dagger back to me and snatched his own from the tree it was stuck in, striking another Oni away that had turned his attention to me.

I blinked furiously, reaching out with a shaking hand for my dagger. With that burst of focus came a crushing wave of exhaustion afterwards. I was on the verge of blacking out again and I breathed deeply, desperate to keep my consciousness.

Two of the Oni left Mitsuhide to join their allies against Mitsukuni. Mitsukuni was cutting them down brutally, but he was slowing, and panting. He was on a different level to all of them, like Mitsuhide. But that was why the enemy fought just as desperately, just as fast and just as hard. It was the only way to even the playing field between whatever superior type of Oni Mitsukuni and Mitsuhide were, and the other Oni.

One by one they fell, and as they fell, so did Mitsukuni's speed. Mitsuhide snarled violently as his remaining two Oni attacked both him and I simultaneously. One threw a shuriken at me and with a grunt, I swung my dagger up, smashing the flying star away from me and I staggered to my feet.

Pain had to be ignored. Dizziness had to be ignored. Lack of sight had to be ignored.

_Rely on my other senses – my intuition!_ I thought frantically through a syrup of sickening unsteadiness.

I tried to tighten my grip around my dagger, my breaths sounded like sobs. I blinked the blood from my eyes.

Next thing I knew. Mitsuhide plunged his dagger through the Oni's back and through his heart. The Oni jerked with a gasp. The glow faded from his eyes as the life left him, before he collapsed to the ground in front of me.

Mitsuhide gasped for breath and I looked briefly behind him. He had killed that Oni so quickly. For such a young boy to be so . . . merciless . . . was truly frightening.

"Aki-senpai, are you –?"

His question was cut short as a shout drew our attention. Immediately we both turned to find Mitsukuni's swing jerk back up, leaving his torso exposed. There were only four Oni left, including the leader whose ninjato pierced Mitsukuni's chest.

"Chichi-ue!" Mitsuhide cried in horror, moving to his father's aid as the man stumbled back, pressing one hand over his heart.

"No!" I grabbed Mitsuhide's wrist. His head snapped around to face me. "You are not the one who is meant to die tonight," I whispered, my voice breaking.

"What?" He croaked, eyes widening in mortified disbelief.

Mitsuhide stared at me. Knowing the future was a curse.

That brief amount of time gave Mitsukuni the chance to kill the remaining Oni without his son getting caught in the middle. Three Oni fell dead, one of which had Mitsukuni's katana imbedded through his head.

The leader was all that remained. Mitsukuni darted behind the already exhausted Oni, grabbed his shoulder with one hand, and with the other, it punched through the leader's back and out through the chest in bloody glory.

There was a beat of silence. The leader grunted. Mitsukuni held the leader's heart within his clawed hand.

"Curse . . . curse y-you . . . !" The leader jerked, blood dribbling down his chin, with eyes glowing in dying anger.

Mitsukuni's fingers clenched around the heart, and the beating organ exploded. The leader's eyes lost its glow, and Mitsukuni pulled his hand back, casting the body away.

The sounds of fighting had been swallowed by the night. Dead bodies littered the ground and the air whispered between them, murmuring of secrets of the unknown. The moon watched silently in sadness.

Mitsukuni stood alone, covered in blood, like he was in the dream, like he was ten years ago when he killed the leader of the Hayato clan.

He looked at us and smiled, a smile of exhaustion and apology. My expression fell.

Mitsukuni fell to his knees and Mitsuhide slipped his wrist from my grip, covering the distance between them in a heartbeat. The son caught his father before he fell completely, and laid him on his back.

"Chichi-ue," Mitsuhide called, his voice was thick with tears.

I staggered over, and fell to my knees beside my adoptive father. My eyes filled with tears again as Mitsukuni blinked slowly.

"I am sorry, Akechi-sama," I whispered, feeling the tears spill down my face.

He smiled faintly. "You knew . . . I would die tonight?"

I shook my head. "I only knew that you would die this month, for that was what is written in history. I prayed that it would not come to pass." My whisper turned into a sob.

"Ah," he breathed.

Mitsuhide's hand pressed over his father's chest. "Why are you not healing?" His voice wavered and his own tears began to trickle down his cheeks. "Even if we are stabbed in the heart, Purebloods will heal."

It was Mitsukuni's turn to shake his head with a tired sigh of sorrow. "That blade was coated with the blood . . . of another Pureblood," he whispered.

Mitsuhide's expression distorted into one of devastation.

As the glow faded from Mitsukuni's eyes, so did his life.

"Aki . . ." he breathed quietly. "Do you remember your promise to me?"

A choked sob cracked through my lips. "Yes."

Whatever tension was left in his body, evaporated away with that last word. Worry eased from his expression, leaving it silently content. The glow was almost gone from his eyes.

He raised his hand and touched his son's cheek tenderly. His chest rose with his last breath.

"Jubei . . . my beloved son," he murmured with a despairing smile. "I will watch over you."

* * *

A week had passed. I could barely remember what happened until three or four days ago. The Akechi clan members came not too long after Mitsukuni died. They took his body back to the manor, and Mitsuhide and I were taken back behind him.

Mitsuhide was silent, as was I. Silent with shock and grief.

After we got back to the manor, I know that I passed out and did not wake until three days later, shocked to find how many bandages were wrapped around me, especially my head.

My head was still wrapped in bandages. I stared at my reflection in the pond from the stone bridge that arched across it. Carp swam lazily in the crystal depths, lurking within the shadows of the lily pads that floated atop the calm surface.

Grief was reflected back at me. This was the first time I had ever mourned.

My adoptive father was dead. The Akechi clan leader was dead. An Oni Pureblood was dead.

My reflection was broken as a drop of rain plopped into the waters, rippling the surface. The rain began to fall and I relived the meeting I had with the other Akechi Lords and Lady Akechi, the same day I had regained consciousness.

* * *

"_It is something we would have preferred to have not told you," Mitsuyasu said deeply. "But given the circumstances under which you were brought to us, it was only a matter of time before you found out the truth."_

_My eyes widened, momentarily taking my mind off the devastation and grief of Mitsukuni's death. "Do you know why I was brought here?"_

_Mitsuhisa shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. What we will explain to you is something slightly different."_

"_As you are aware," Lady Akechi began. "This world consists of mythical creatures of legend like the Tengus, Kitsunes, Yokai and Oni. You were brought here by three of them. Those three are part of the highest ranking within the supernatural realm, called Superiors, for they are every living thing's superior. _

"_Beneath them are the next highest ranking supernatural beings, called Purebloods, which is what we are. Both the Akechi clan and the Yamagishi – my clan – are Purebloods, which means that our blood has been untainted by human blood. Nowadays, we are rare. Because the Superiors barely show any influence within the physical world, the Purebloods have been classed as the highest amongst the Supernatural beings. However, the presences of our Superiors always hover in the background. _

"_And then beneath us are the rest of the supernatural beings with varying strengths. They are numerous in number, making the Purebloods seem like needles within a haystack."_

_The other two men nodded in agreement. "The Akechi clan is descended from the Minamoto clan, which I am sure you know of as the clan who defeated the Taira clan in the Genpei War," Mitsuyasu explained. "These two clans were also in fact legendary Oni clans of powerful Purebloods, classified as royalty even amongst Purebloods, and therefore as royalty amongst the Oni. The last Shogun of the Minamoto clan during the Kamakura Shogunate was said to be the Emperor of the Oni, with silver hair and strength that rivalled that of a Superior. Other Yokai may have silver hair, but Oni do not."_

_My body tensed as I recalled Mitsuhide's Oni appearance. Silver hair._

"_Mitsuhide has the same traits," Mitsuhisa stated. "Although he is still as young as he is, already his Oni form has strength that is equivalent to that of a fully grown Pureblood like Mitsukuni. Therefore he is referred to as the 'Heir of the Oni', for he is the next Emperor of our race, the next one to resurrect the Imperial line of Oni and recreate the Kamakura Shogunate which fell from grace around two hundred years ago. Of course, the Shogunate, if ever made, will be known by a different name."_

_I listened in silence. Mitsuhide, in my history, did succeed in becoming Shogun. But only for thirteen days, giving him the famous name – the Thirteen Day Shogun._

_Would it still be the same though, now that I knew that he was not human?_

"_Mitsukuni was under the impression that you may have been sent here to help Mitsuhide in some way with regards to his destiny as Heir of the Oni," Mitsuhisa continued. "We were a bit dubious, until he told us of what you told him concerning the Hayato clan. It confirmed his suspicions immediately, as well as persuaded us."_

_My dream flashed through my head, followed by the real events barely three days ago. It was like rubbing salt on a wound._

"_What your dream showed was correct. Ten years ago Mitsukuni fought another Pureblood by the name of Hayato Shinsui. His clan were allies of the Taira. And now, with the recent events, it has also come to our attention that you are a Seer, which is most unusual as Seers normally have some sort of demonic blood, yet you have none."_

"_Whether your ability to see the future is true though is not of major importance," Lady Akechi said. "It is a remarkable gift, or a dreadful curse. Nevertheless, it would be best if you remain keeping such a thing as a secret."_

_I looked down. "Agreed," I said quietly. _

"_You will also agree to keep our true identity a secret," Mitsuyasu said. It was not a request, but an order. I nodded._

_Lady Akechi inhaled deeply. "Jubei will become the next clan head, but not until he turns eighteen. Until then, Mitsuyasu-sama and Mitsuhisa-sama will act in his place." She then looked at me and her expression softened. "And once again, we thank you for protecting Jubei. Continue to train and act as his bodyguard, Aki."_

* * *

The rain soaked into my bandages, hair and clothes. But I did not budge. The rain fell down my face like tears as the sky wept like yesterday when we buried Mitsukuni. It was now a time of mourning.

To my faint surprise though, I did not have an emotional break down like I was expecting. That was already something I had five years ago when my mother fell ill with leukaemia.

The carp swam, taking no notice of the rain that pounded upon the surface of their pond. I became hypnotised by the water's ripples as the words of my clan Lords and Lady sank in. It had been a great shock to discover the truth about them, as well as a frightening truth. It explained why for this time and age, they were bigger than the normal folk, standing at a higher height. For over a year, I had been living with Oni, creatures that thrived off the blood of other living things.

I shivered.

And yet, these monsters were the very same monsters that took me in a gave me a home, providing a shelter over my head, clothes to keep me warm, food to fill my stomach, and friendship to chase away the loneliness of being isolated from my time.

My expression twisted into one of grief. It was Mitsukuni who gave me all these things.

And now he was gone.

"_Do you remember your promise to me?"_

My shoulders sank.

Mitsuhide had refused to speak to me and I sighed softly in sadness. If he was looking at me and I met his gaze, he would look away.

"Do you think he died because of me?" I asked my reflection quietly. If I did not grab Mitsuhide's wrist to stop him from helping his father, would Mitsukuni have survived?

_His question was cut short as a shout drew our attention. Immediately we both turned to find Mitsukuni's swing jerk back up, leaving his torso exposed. There were only four Oni left, including the leader whose ninjato pierced Mitsukuni's chest._

My reflection shook her head, an effect of the ripples on the water. Even if I had not stopped Mitsuhide, Mitsukuni would still have died, because that dagger still pierced his heart.

Only the blood of another Pureblood could kill another Pureblood when stabbed in the heart.

Still, the guilt which Mitsuhide's silence caused me weighed down on my shoulders. Did he blame me for his father's death?

The hurt that caused me split my chest.

The day carried on and I went through it like a phantom. The rain continued to fall. Night came and my sleep was dreamless. The next day I sat on the veranda in my kimono, watching the rain fall and listening to the pitter patter of the skies tears upon the tiled roof above me. The air was damp and fresh.

I found it hard to stand up and get my act together. Aside from Mitsukuni, the only other person I had developed some sort of attachment to was Mitsuhide. Therefore it hurt all the more that he thought that the fault was on me.

Could I blame him for that though?

"_You are not the one who is meant to die tonight."_

After hearing that, I would not be surprised, for I would have reacted the same way, with hate, grief and anger. It just hurt though, because those feelings came from Mitsuhide.

I pressed a hand to my chest, wincing. What was I going to do?

I soft footfall drew my attention and reluctantly, I looked to my side. Mitsuhide stood there and my eyes widened slightly upon seeing him. For the first time in eight days, he had approached me.

"Mitsuhide-sama."

There was a beat of silence, and his unwavering gaze held mine, until he looked out at the rain. His expression was unreadable.

Unexpectedly, he sat down next to me. "If you had not stopped me, then I could have saved him."

Whether he realised it or not, his words were like a stabbing blade. I looked down. I had been a burden all throughout that fight.

"If you had just let me die, then you could have fought alongside Akechi-sama, and he would still be alive," I murmured.

There was a beat of silence. "Yes."

It felt like something broke inside of me.

"That was what I wanted to believe," Mitsuhide whispered. "But even if you had not stopped me, Chichi-ue would still have died because of that blood of the blade. Even if you were never there in the first place, he would have died protecting me." His voice cracked. "I just wanted someone to blame!"

His head thumped against my shoulder and I stared with wide eyes that were moistening.

"Is it wrong for me to wish I could blame you?" He said quietly, his voice breaking. A tear ran down his silky cheek.

"No," I murmured, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "If it makes you feel better, then blame me, curse me. A human burden like me should never have been there in the first place."

Mitsuhide stiffened as my arm wrapped about him, until he relaxed under my touch and his expression became twisted as he began to lose his control, showing me his true emotions which he had to keep in check when around others.

"I can't though," he said softly. "Because you saved my life again."

Despite the grief and devastation, I smiled faintly at the acknowledgement, the roundabout thanks. I gazed up at the heavy grey sky.

"Cry, Mitsuhide-sama," I said gently. "Cry out all your sorrows. It will be your first and last time. Akechi-sama is watching from afar, and he will not want you to mourn over his death for too long."

It did not take long for the tears to start flowing like streams. The boy's shoulders shook with his silent sobs.

He cried and cried, until he fell into an emotionally exhausted sleep, and slumped against me.

Asleep, his face looked even younger, and gently, I wiped away the residue of his glistening tears from his cheeks.

"I promised your father that I would protect and guide you, Mitsuhide-sama," I said quietly, lowering his head down to my lap. "Until I can go back to the future, I will honour his wish."

I stroked his head, like a mother would for her child, feeling his silky hair beneath my skin. Once again, I gazed up at the sky, thinking of Mitsukuni's smile that chased away all negativity.

* * *

**A/N: And that is the end of the first arc! From now on Mitsuhide will be growing up. You're probably wondering 'where the hell is the romance?!' seeing as it's in the genre description. It's on its way, I promise. And if there is romance then you're probably wondering how is it going to work seeing as it's between Mitsuhide and Aki and Aki is nine/ten years older than him. Don't worry, I've got a twist up my sleeve that will make it work quite nicely ;)  
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**I hope you've all enjoyed it so far ^^ And thanks to those for following my fanfic. I really appreciate it.  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I'm pretty peeved at the moment. Someone updated Wikipedia and now it turns out that Mitsuhide was born in Tara castle. I'm not going to go through my last eight chapters and change it again -.- so I will stick with what I have at the moment. The Akechi live in a castle soon enough anyway in the fanfic (like now). Great thing about fanfics is that they don't have to be historically accurate.**

**I've also changed how Mitsuhide refered to his father in the previous chapters from 'Otou-sama' to 'Chichi-ue'. Thanks to Ryujin Mei for pointing that grammar out and correcting it :) And I also changed his referal for his mother from 'Oka-sama' to 'Haha-ue'.  
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**Right! This is the beginning of the second arc! Thanks to all for following and reading my fic. Remember to review!  
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* * *

Chapter Nine

**April 1542; 4 years after the death of Akechi Mitsukuni**

The sound of violent battle filled the air. Men roared battle cries, swords clashed, naginatas swiped, arrows flew and shields shattered. Smoke puffed through the air as sheds were set alight.

I drew back a bow, aimed down the hill and let the arrow lose. It struck the target through the neck, collapsing to join the dead that already littered ground. I fired a quick succession of arrows at Saito's men that were charging up the hill. They just kept coming! My unit were outnumbered. The Toki-Akechi army in general was outnumbered. Even though Inabayama Castle – looming behind me – was under our control, it gave us no advantages.

"Osamu-sama!" One of my soldiers panted. "We cannot hold the outer ring for much longer!"

I ground my teeth together. It was something I had been aware of from the beginning. My men were getting slaughtered.

"Blast it," I muttered under my breath, before I then shouted, "Fall back behind me! Do not cross this line!"

My order was obeyed and my soldiers scrambled back up the hill, leaping over the barricades as fast as possible, desperate to stay one step ahead of Saito's vicious army.

Struggling to keep my desperation from showing, I watched carefully as the timing of my little plan came into play. It was not a big plan, just something to buy some time for my men.

When enough of my men had crossed the invisible line I had drawn with Kenji, I yelled, "Now, Akito!"

A second later, the line exploded, creating a wall of explosions and flying rubble and dust, ripping limbs from the Saito that had crossed the line. The Saito soldiers screamed and the ones behind were flung back.

I spun around. "Retreat back to the outer wall and seal the gates!" I commanded.

"Aye Aye, Osamu-sama!" They shouted back, rushing back up the hill. I stayed at the rear with some of my remaining archers, firing at the Saito soldiers that were lucky enough to avoid getting blown to pieces. It was enough of a gap though to give my men enough time to retreat.

Kenji joined me and he threw makeshift grenades down the hill, which exploded as they hit the ground, blowing more Saito soldiers to pieces. Seeing grenades had been a shock to me when Kenji first showed me what he could do a year or so back. I was not particularly familiar with artillery during these times, but who was I to argue? It was extremely useful.

Akito Kenji – the man whom I first met when I first came to this world five years ago – flashed me a calming grin. He was the first kindly face I saw when I woke after being brought through the lake. "Our little plan worked, Osamu-san," he mused.

I smirked in grim irony. "Yes, it did. But it was only a stall."

We dashed backwards up the hill, and when I had run out of arrows, I cast my bow away and withdrew my katana again, something which I had earned a year ago from Mitsuyasu.

The last four years had been peaceful, but the growing civil unrest within Mino had been developing over the last two years. It had been something that I was both expecting and dreading.

In 1542, Saito Dousan rebelled against Toki Yorinari and divided the province with civil war. Both sides were evenly divided, or so I thought. Dousan's brutality, wealth and arrogance brought him superior power. And in this battle, the Toki would lose. Which meant that so would the Akechi, for they were allied with the Toki.

I had prayed that somehow, I would avoid getting caught up in this struggle. Never did I think that one day I would end up becoming an officer that played an important role within one of history's real battles. And I was a _girl_. Though, that fact was ignored by most. I could fight faster than a lot of them, I thought like a man, commanded like a man, and dressed as a man.

Not only that, this was my first battle, and I was on the losing side.

Never did I think that I would be forced to kill. How did I go from 6th form graduate, to officer of the Toki-Akechi army?

I had no idea. I thought that I would have found a way to go back to the future by now, but it had yet to happen. Now, I was twenty-three.

Except I still looked the same as when I first came to the past.

"_You have not aged, Aki,"_ Lady Akechi said when we were alone. _"It is as if your body has frozen at eighteen."_

An arrow whistled past my cheek and I ducked, avoiding another that zoomed above my head. I had already been shot once in the back barely an hour ago. I did not want another arrow hitting its target.

Now was not the time to think of the shocking possibility that I had somehow stopped aging. I had to concentrate on staying alive and keeping as many of my men alive as possible.

Kenji and I were the last two through the gate which was slammed shut behind us. We panted on the other side, but there was no time to rest, no matter how much my muscles screamed for it. There were more soldiers behind the wall of the castle who were under the command of another officer. Our forces combined together.

"Archers!" He ordered the archers that were up on the higher levels and platforms. "Slow their advance!" The archers rained arrows down the other side, but arrows came back up. Men grunted and cried as they were hit by the Saito, falling from their platforms.

My jaw clenched. Pounding drummed against the gates as a battering ram boomed against it from the other side. I indicated my archers to the gate.

"Stand in formation. Shoot down anyone who breaks through that gate." I turned around to the foot soldiers. "Form ranks! Kill any who cross that wall! Do not give them the chance to overrun us!"

Despite the strength I forced into my voice, I knew that my orders would be useless in the end. The outcome of this battle had already been decided before it even began. Even if I did know the details of this battle and how the Toki were defeated, I would not change it, because history had to follow its course, no matter how much I wished otherwise.

A messenger rushed up to the officer and I, dropping down on one knee. That was something else I never thought would happen to me. Although I was Mitsuhide's bodyguard and nothing more, it appeared that my reputation had grown somewhat. Some treated me as a Lord, or Lady, depending on how I dressed. The suffix 'sama' was often at the end of my name now. It was something that I could not get over.

"Mitsuhisa-sama and Yorinari-sama have retreated behind the northern and eastern gates!" The messenger stated.

The officer tsked under his breath. "Mitsuyasu-sama has yet to retreat."

"Tch! It is only a matter of time," I said.

"At least our gates still hold."

"For now."

The officer looked at me darkly. "Your lack of faith is disappointing, Osamu."

I looked back at him flatly. He did not know that we were going to lose. His faith in Yorinari and blinded him.

"Keep us informed," I told the messenger.

"Yes, Osamu-sama! Kondo-sama!" He dashed away, and we turned back to the battle. Kenji stood beside me as my right hand.

_Boom!_

The battering ram continued to pound against the gate. Hooks were thrown over the wall and I felt my heart sink into my stomach like a rock. Fear pulsed in my bloodstream.

"How many grenades do you have left, Akito-san?" I asked, trying to think of some other way I could have him use the explosives to my advantage.

_Damn it! I wish I paid more attention to modern warfare! Seeing as bombs are everywhere in my day._

I already paid a large amount of attention to it, as such things fascinated me. Games were the only way I could live it through. Halo was a particular all-time favourite. But my knowledge was severely lacking still.

Kenji smiled thinly. "I will not lie. I'm running short."

Saito soldiers were climbing over the wall one by one. Some fell as they were hit by arrows; some got through and fell onto the naginatas that waited like a bed of thorns. They kept coming though, and some passed even the line of naginatas, meeting the samurai head on.

_Boom!_

Wood splintered as the front gate cracked. My grip around my katana tightened.

"_Why can't you transform and end this battle quickly?"_ I had asked with a tight voice before the battle started.

"_Because we live amongst humans and must act as such," _Mitsuhisa said warningly. _"This is a human battle, therefore we fight as humans. Just because we are a superior species does not mean that we impose our will on others as such. We are humans amongst humans, and Oni amongst Oni. This will be a fair and decisive battle."_

I growled. In that case, it was no wonder that Dousan – a human – defeated the Toki. He had the mind of a serpent. The man was more of a Yokai than the _real_ ones I had met.

If Mitsuhide were two years older, being sixteen rather than fourteen, then he would be the officer in my place, and no doubt directing his unit better than I was. Despite his young age, he was showing remarkable understanding of warfare. Yorinari said he was destined to be a general.

It was a very accurate statement, for indeed Mitsuhide had the sharp mind of a war general.

Our defences held for longer than I expecting though, but soon enough, another messenger ran up to us.

"Mitsuyasu-sama has retreated!" He puffed.

"Crap," I cursed, earning a few strange glances with my English. "Now we're boxed in."

"Yorinari calls for a brief emergency meeting," the messenger then said.

"Now?" The officer – Kondo – growled, glancing at the soldiers fighting. I seconded his reluctance.

The messenger nodded. "Immediately."

Kenji grasped my shoulder. "I will take temporary command. Do hurry back though. I'm not supposed to take this kind of responsibility."

I met his gaze firmly and nodded. Though Kenji was not an officer, he was intelligent. As the Toki were short on officers, Kenji would have to take the role while Kondo and I were gone.

The messenger hurried us through the castle. It was no time for formalities as we met the other Lords in one of the courtyards.

"Toki-sama, Mitsuyasu-sama, Mitsuhisa-sama!" We exclaimed upon entry. I offered a quick bow.

"Osamu, Kondo," Yorinari acknowledged as we jogged up to them. The messenger bowed, and quickly left.

"We are in a tight situation," Yorinari said, getting straight to the point. "We are surrounded on all fronts. It will not be long before our gates are breached."

"What do you suggest, Yorinari-sama?" Mitsuhisa poised.

"Although we have been forced to retreat, our gates are still well-defended," Yorinari said, clenching his fist. "The Saito army cannot attack us as one large unit through the gates, giving us the opportunity to cut them down until they run thin."

When I first met Yorinari, I was stunned to find out how much of a dreamer he seemed to be. His plan was stupid and naïve. We did not have the strength to continue holding back Saito's men, even if they did attack in more manageable waves. This could not even be classified as a siege. We were too ill prepared for that. The gates would be broken down within a matter of minutes and our numbers had already dwindled.

Despite this pointless plan, I did not argue. Despite the terror and panic that saturated the air, somehow, I did not feel as worried about death as I should have been. Because I knew that the three men before me would survive anyway (though I was not sure about Kondo). The Akechi would go on to become great. But that could only happen if the Toki lost today.

Kondo, with his absolute faith in his Lord, obeyed without question. I glanced at Mitsuhisa and Mitsuyasu. They glanced back at me.

"Any questions?" Yorinari asked.

"None," Mitsuyasu said, causing my eyes to widen slightly in surprise. They were not going to argue with the plan?

"Good. Dismissed."

With halting movements, I turned around, stunned, and began to follow Kondo back to the southern gate which we defended. I passed through a room when a hand landed on my shoulder. Turning, I faced Mitsuyasu and Mitsuhisa.

"Mitsuyasu-sama, Mitsuhisa-sama," I said in shock. "What are you both –?"

"What is the outcome of this battle, Aki?" Mitsuhisa questioned. All light-heartedness had gone from his tone. "The only surprise you have shown throughout this whole ideal is being promoted to an officer for this battle. Yet you have shown little surprise with regards to this battle that we now fight."

I gulped, before exhaling softly under the intensity of their stares. "Isn't the outcome obvious?" I asked quietly, careful to keep my voice low.

There was a beat of silence. "We lose?" Mitsuyasu murmured. It was a stinging statement, bitter truth.

I looked away, neither nodding nor shaking my head. "But no one dies." I took a deep breath, deciding to tell them what would happen. It was a risk I was willing to take. This was not an event I had dreamed of. The future-predicting dreams had no pattern. Sometimes it was of important events, other times it was of something completely irrelevant in the town, like a scuffle which required the judgement of the Akechi Lords. If I had dreamed of how this battle would turn out, then would have I been able to change it so that the Toki win?

But if that happened, then history would change. Perhaps that was the reason why I had not dreamt of this battle? The only dream of any relevance to this event was that I was held as a prisoner for a week or so with Mitsuyasu in Inabayama Castle.

"The Toki are exiled from Mino, but the Akechi's power rise further," I sighed. "Saito Dousan wins this battle and becomes the next governor of the province, and the Akechi serve him."

My Lords watched me in silence. Mitsuyasu's expression did not change, but I noted how Mitsuhisa's fell slightly in dismay.

"Serve the _Saito_?"

I met their eyes grimly. "That is what is written in history."

* * *

Mitsuhide sat in silence within a room of Tara Castle. It was a castle that the Toki had given them a few years back. It was far more fitting than the manor, even though the manner was large enough. Despite this being their new home, he found that he missed the manor, which had gone to another minor Lord who was fighting in the Toki-Akechi army against the up-riser, Saito Dousan.

His uncles and Aki had left over two weeks ago. Travelling to Inabayama took time, then they had to prepare for battle and organise some sort of strategy. The fighting started yesterday.

His katana lay beside him, sleeping, until it was forced to waken and reap the lives its master sought to take.

Despite his strength and intellect, he could not yet join any such battles until he was at least sixteen when he was then considered a man. If he were two years older, then he would be another officer on that battlefield fighting for Inabayama Castle. He would be fighting with his uncles as another Akechi Lord. He would be fighting alongside Aki.

His eyes narrowed.

He recalled the moment that his uncles called for him and told him what was to happen.

"_Just for this battle, Aki will be temporarily relieved of her duty as your bodyguard. Her combat skills and knowledge of warfare is advanced enough that she will be promoted to an officer status, to fight with us as an equal."_

It had been hard to hide his dismay. The last thing he had been expecting was having Aki fight in a battle without his company. He did not feel jealous. No. It was concern that he felt.

During the five years Aki had been with them, her combat abilities had improved to the stage where she could be classified as a samurai. As the Toki-Akechi army were short on officers, it would only make sense then to recruit Aki as another officer as she was Akechi Osamu, adopted daughter of Akechi Mitsukuni.

And ever since the night that took his father's life, Mitsuhide had been insistent on ensuring that both he and Aki learnt to fight together as a team. It had been a while before he could properly reflect on how he felt from the fight that night. Even when Aki could barely stay conscious, she still protected his back, just as he protected her in return.

She had saved his life twice now, and he had saved her life once. The debt still had to be paid. And he was more than happy to pay it.

Mitsuhide kept his thoughts silent. But he could not deny the stirring wish that he and Aki could fight side by side, as Lord and bodyguard; as officer and officer; as friend and friend.

He wondered though. Wondered how well Aki would fight today. He did not doubt her skills or leadership abilities. However, she was inexperienced, like him.

His jaw clenched.

_Dousan._

The snake of a man caused this civil war. If the Akechi and Toki could fight with their true power, then there would be no doubt as to the outcome of this battle. However, they could not fight as Oni. They had to fight as humans.

Would the Toki-Akechi win?

It was hard to tell. They had all severely underestimated Dousan's greedy and ruthless mind from the beginning. Yorinari had already shown signs of kow-towing down to him by giving him his concubine, Omi no Kata – also known as Miyoshino-hime.

A beat of dull fear pulsed through Mitsuhide. It was not his fear.

He looked up. The jade tiger – attached to his leather hairband – glinted in the light.

That was not his fear that pulsed through him. It was Aki's.

Mitsuhide frowned, his hand beginning to reach out for his katana when he stopped himself. What good would that do? The battle was miles away from Tara Castle.

Grudgingly, he pulled his hand back and sighed. It was an odd thing – telepathic links.

* * *

"_Aki, do you know of or believe in telepathic links between certain people?" Mitsuhide asked her as they sat on the rocks by the lake, waiting for the sun to dry them. They had been practicing sitting on the bottom holding their breath. Aki had lost the competition._

"_That is a random question," she laughed softly. "Where did that come from?"_

_Mitsuhide looked across the lake, not intending to say why. He asked though, because every now and then, he could somehow sense when she was either in distress, or wishing to speak to him when she was nowhere near him. Of course, the demons of the supernatural world that he was part of could communicate telepathically to each other, but his link with Aki was slightly different. He could _sense_ her._

"_I don't just believe in them. I know of them quite well," Aki said. Her statement surprised him and he glanced at her. "I had such a link with my father who – like me – unfortunately could see the future as well. Whenever I was in distress of some sort, he could sense it. Whenever the family would split and one of us did not have a mobile phone, he would call me mentally. Of course, I did not hear that, but my instincts would tell me to look in a certain place, and there he would be."_

_Mitsuhide gazed up the high windswept clouds. Aki said that they were called '__cirrus__' clouds, some of the highest in the skies._

"_Your Otou-san sounds very much like you," Mitsuhide mused. "Aside from the idiocy of his youth."_

_They both chuckled at the stories Aki had told of her father._

"_Why did you ask, Mitsuhide-sama?"_

_Mitsuhide shook his head. "No reason."_

* * *

That little conversation however had confirmed his suspicions. He had the same link with Aki, though it would be many years, he suspected, before he could understand it or what it meant.

He closed his eyes in defeat as Aki's fear faded, replaced by silence. His instinct knew.

They had lost.

* * *

I was forced to my knees, kneeling in a line with the other officers of the Toki-Akechi army. Those not too far in ranking from us were kneeling behind. Our hands were bound tightly behind our backs with ropes that bit our flesh, adding to the pain that was already throbbing through our bodies. I was cut and bleeding, adding to the scars that were already on my body from the Oni attack four years ago.

I glanced at Yorinari, Mitsuhisa and Mitsuyasu. They too were covered in blood. Some of it was theirs, until their wounds healed, but most of it was of the men that they fought alongside and killed. However, they did look tired. It was a relief actually to me, to see them tired. It made them seem more human, more down to earth than the supernatural beings that they actually were.

I blinked the blood and dirt from my eyes and looked up through narrowed eyes. My body was so tired.

Our weapons were confiscated. Saito officers were lined both in front and behind us. Soldiers guarded the outer lines. The air reeked of smoke and death. The dead were everywhere, buildings were ruined.

It was eerily quiet.

Saito Dousan stood before us, still clad in his armour with his helmet removed. He was not an attractive man. His stature was big and sturdy, making him imposing and intimidating.

Katana bare and still stained with blood, he pointed it at Yorinari, tapping the apex of the blade beneath Yorinari's chin.

Dousan smirked cruelly. "Well, well, Yorinari. Who would have thought that you were this weak? Pity that. It must be an embarrassment to the Minamoto ancestors, to see their descendants defeated by _me_, a man of merchant origins."

I tensed. Because of Dousan's sly nature, the man never found out the true nature of the Toki and the Akechi. He was never told. _If he knew, then I bet he would not be rubbing his victory in our faces_, I thought angrily. _I'm going to have to serve this arrogant bastard for the next fourteen years?_

Provided I was still around, that was.

"You are outnumbered, Yorinari," Dousan continued. "I have the larger wealth and power, therefore I claim Mino as my own. You do not have the strength of numbers to retaliate against me."

"What do you intend to do, Saito-_sama_?" Yorinari questioned with a hint of mocking to his tone. Dousan heard it and kicked him in the head, causing the man to be flung back. I flinched in horror at the unpredictable ruthlessness.

A faint murmur passed through the Toki-Akechi before it was silenced by Dousan's glare.

"Hmph, you try my patience already, Yorinari," he said darkly. "But, this victory of mine has put me in a good mood. You and the rest of the Toki are hereby exiled from Mino. You should count yourself lucky that I will not execute you, because despite my loathing for you, I suppose you were the fool who enabled me to climb to this position of authority."

The Toki-Akechi gasped in anger at the insult and the sentence that was delivered. I on the other hand, felt my shoulders sink in defeat, not surprised by it. I liked Yorinari, even though he was irritatingly naïve and dim sometimes.

Beside me, Mitsuyasu and Mitsuhisa did not react at all. I had already warned them of what to expect from this battle.

"This sentence is in effect immediately," Dousan announced. "Escort the Toki from Mino."

Toki Yorinari was grabbed by two guards, who led him roughly away. Sadness touched my heart and I closed my eyes briefly. Murmurs came from both sides; dismay from the Toki-Akechi, and victory from the Saito. The officers remained silent, but some of them showed obvious anger – Kondo being one of them.

_: He will be fine_, Mitsuhisa murmured, his mind open to both his brother and me. Ever since I had been let into the loop of Oni, Yokai and the lot, they also practiced seeing if I could hear their telepathic voices and vice versa. I could hear them and reply back to them, but only if they established the first link. I could not talk to them first without them having made the connection first.

Instead of frightening people as it would have done for any normal person, I found this telepathic communication absolutely fascinating now that I was gradually learning more about these supernatural beings.

_: Even if the Toki lose their place in the human realm,_ Mitsuhisa added,_ the supernatural realm will hail them accordingly to their bloodline and power. Their failure in the human world will have no impact on their reputation in the supernatural world._

I took some comfort from his words, as guards came and went.

Dousan turned his attention to the officers. "You all on the other hand have a slightly different choice. You can either join me, or remain loyal to the weak Yorinari and be executed."

"I would rather die than serve the retainer who betrayed his Lord!" Kondo spat.

My eyes shot to him in alarm.

"As you wish," Dousan said flatly, beheading Kondo on the spot without warning. I was not able to hold back my stifled gasp as the head thumped to the ground and blood fountained from the stump of Kondo's neck. His body collapsed on the ground before Dousan, and the blood spread across the courtyard paving to touch his boots.

Immediately I looked away, jaw clenched and feeling my heart hammer in my chest out of thinly controlled terror. Dousan was indeed ruthless. I prayed silently that he did not notice my flinch.

It was not in my luck.

Dousan stopped in front of me and with his gloved fingers, he forced my chin up to look at him.

"Osamu, Osamu." He smirked. His face was far too close to mine to be comfortable. "You did far better today than I was expecting. You truly are a fascinating woman. Perhaps I should make you one of my concubines – and then I will kill you. You are too much of a thinker to be considered harmless in the bedroom."

I did not hear the last part. The word 'concubine' stuck in my head like a bee to honey, but with the stinging shock of a dagger through the gut. I was still a virgin. If I were to have sex with anyone then it had to be with the man I had fallen in love with. No such thing had happened yet, and the thought of Dousan's flesh against mine made the hairs on my arms stand on end, making my skin crawl in disgust and fear.

"That will not be necessary, Saito-sama," Mitsuyasu cut in monotonously.

Dousan's attention turned to him, but he did not let go of my chin. I swallowed my growing hysteria.

_I don't want to be a concubine! Please lose interest! Please don't force me to be your prostitute! _

"Saito-sama?" Dousan quoted.

"Yes," Mitsuyasu nodded before Dousan could take it the wrong way. "Osamu is an officer and Akechi Mitsuhide's bodyguard. We ask that you do not make her anything more or less than that. On another note with regards to where our allegiances now lie, I will speak on the behalf of the Akechi clan as a whole – we hereby serve the Saito clan and Saito Dousan, new Lord and Daimyo of Mino."

More gasps rippled through the soldiers, both from the Saito and the Toki-Akechi. Dousan let go of me roughly and moved to tower over Mitsuyasu and Mitsuhisa. The Akechi Lords' expressions remained unreadable. They were not intimidated by Dousan, after all, the two Akechi Lords were something more than human. However, they could not show that to their new Daimyo.

"If you speak on behalf of your clan, then Mitsuhisa, bow down and kiss my boots," Dousan sneered. "Taste the blood of those who served the Toki-Akechi that stains these boots of mine."

With a worried and angry glance, I looked from Dousan to the other brother. It almost looked as if a flash of amusement flickered in his eyes briefly.

Without arguing, he lowered his head, and his lips met Dousan's bloodied boots. The shameful and disgraceful act was done, and the Saito laughed mockingly.

They would not be laughing for long. Soon enough these two clans would be working side by side.

Dousan smirked. "Swallowing pride must be a bitter thing, Mitsuhisa. In that case, the Akechi now serve me. In order to ensure your loyalty however during the transaction, Osamu and Mitsuyasu will be my temporary prisoners. Think of it as insurance. Should the rest of the Akechi not follow your lead, then these two will die. When I can be sure that the Akechi's complete obedience is to me, then I will release them."

My eyes narrowed slightly. That part of my dream was true after all. Mitsuyasu and I would be his prisoners.

The ropes that bound Mitsuhisa were cut and he bowed. "As you wish, Saito-sama."

Dousan grunted. "Now get to work immediately. And you four!" He jabbed a finger at the four closest guards behind Mitsuyasu and I. "Take these two to the cells."

Mitsuhisa bowed more time before he was escorted out to begin the Akechi defect from the Toki to the Saito, while Mitsuyasu and I were hoisted up roughly and led away.

"Now who else wishes to follow the Akechi's example?" I heard Dousan boom behind me. "Or will you chose the Toki and be executed?"

"Oof!" I puffed as I was shoved along, never getting to find out who sided with us and who chose death. I kept my mouth shut as we were taken down to the lower levels of the castle into the prison beneath. It stank of old excrement and stale straw that was stained with urine.

I was pushed into one cell and Mitsuyasu was pushed into the one next to me. Our bonds were cut, before the barred doors slammed shut in our faces. I glared at the backs of the guards as they headed back up the stairs, laughing at the disgraceful position that the Akechi were currently in – we had been forced to abandon our allies and defect to the enemy side. Where was the honour in that?

Had I not known history, cold fury would have seethed within my soul at this downfall.

"Knowing it still doesn't make it any better!" I spat bitterly under my breath, kicking the bars once in frustration.

"Nevertheless, it is done. The Akechi still maintain our standing in human society, which is currently more important," Mitsuyasu said dully, sitting down against the cold stone wall.

I turned to look at him. Indeed, he was right. It was done, the Akechi had switched allegiances to the Saito, and managed to keep their dignity and position. Still though, that did not ease the burning anger within me over the shameful act that Dousan had forced Mitsuhisa to do.

With a huff, I sat down in the middle of my cell, where the ground was the least dirty. I breathed in through my mouth so I did not have to smell the stench so strongly. My heart still raced in my chest and exhaustion roared through my aching and injured body.

"What will happen now, Mitsuyasu-sama?" I asked in defeat.

Mitsuyasu was silent for a few moments. "Mitsuhisa will go back to Tara Castle and inform the clan of the situation. Then over the coming days, the rest of the Akechi will swear allegiance to Dousan and everything that is under our control, will follow our lead and acknowledge him as the new Daimyo of Mino."

I gazed down at my lap in shame. How disappointed would Mitsuhide be at this failure to quell Dousan's uprising? How would he look on us when we returned to Tara Castle?

It had been a while now since I last saw any of them. Was Kenji alright?

"How long would it take?"

Mitsuyasu shrugged slightly. "That will depend on how cooperative the rest of the clan is."

I sighed softly. Just like how I waited for my time to return to the twenty-first century, I now had to wait to be released from this cell.

The silence began and I closed my eyes from tiredness. It was better to sleep, to meditate. Time would go faster then.

But I knew in my heart that it would go slowly. I just had to endure it.

"You met our expectations," Mitsuyasu said quietly, hours after we had been imprisoned. I opened my eyes and looked up at him. He had the same sort of expression that those who knew and taught me in the twenty-first century wore. Their expectations were strangely high for some God forsaken reason.

And judging from their expressions and praises, I tended to meet them more often than I realised.

"Were they high or low?" I asked softly nonetheless.

"High," Mitsuyasu stated bluntly. I smiled faintly and shook my head in dismay. "It is unlikely that Dousan will demote you from your position as an officer," Mitsuyasu continued. "However, you are a member of my clan, and your fate is ultimately determined by the Akechi – no other. We had our doubts about whether you would be suitable later on as Mitsuhide's true bodyguard, but I believe that those doubts are now void."

I stared at him, before warmth spread through me at his roundabout compliment. It was so hard to get any praise from him, for he was a cold and distant man who showed little emotion.

I smiled, and bowed to him. "Thank you, Mitsuyasu-sama."

He simply grunted and looked back out through the bars, uninterested once again.

* * *

**14 days later**

Mitsuhide stood in the courtyard with his arms crossed and scowling, tapping his toes against the paving in impatience. He was one of many people in the courtyard who greeted Mitsuyasu and Aki as they returned from their temporary imprisonment at Inabayama Castle.

There were smiles all around as the two were welcomed back. When Aki spotted Mitsuhide, he saw her expression falter slightly and she came before him.

"Mitsuhide-sama, I –"

"You are late," he interrupted.

Aki blinked. "Mitsuhide-sama?" She stammered.

"You should have come back days ago," he said irritably.

She stared at him. "Y-you are not disappointed?"

His eyes snapped to hers. He was only a few inches shorter than her now. "About what? The defeat?"

She looked awkward and he exhaled sharply. "As long as we are alive, defeat is never a true defeat. Had you lost completely, then that would be a different matter."

She was silent for a moment, letting the noise and babble of everyone else wrap them in a cocoon of their own little world. The awkwardness faded from her posture and a tiny, cunning smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"You were concerned that I may have died?"

He flinched unsuspectingly. She hit the target. "You were worried about my safety?"

"Hmph!" He harrumphed coldly, looking away, unable to stop the slight flush that tinged his cheeks. Aki laughed. The sound was light hearted and filled with respite.

"You are so very sweet, Mitsuhide-sama," she teased, like she had done on countless occasions before in the last five years.

"Hurry up and get rested. We start our team training again tomorrow at dawn," he said icily. That though was just to mask the complete opposite feeling within him. He was relieved that she was still alright, relieved to see her smile and to hear her laugh. Even the teasing was a relief.

Because Aki was back. Alive and in one piece.

* * *

**A/N: And that's another key point in history that has now happened :) Things should be advancing faster now through the timeline. But I do like my detail and getting my relationships established and developed. It's no fun if everything gets achieved right at the beginning, otherwise it isn't as deep XD Please review! Reviews = faster updates ;)**


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